IHC Acquits Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Cypher Case

IHC Acquits Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Cypher Case/Dawn

VoM News Desk | June 3, 2024 | 07:27 PM IST | Pakistan News, World | Follow on Google News

IHC Acquits Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Cypher Case

IHC Acquits Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Cypher Case

Key Highlights:

1. IHC acquitted Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cypher case.
2. Both leaders remain imprisoned due to other ongoing cases.
3. The case involved allegations of a diplomatic document not returned by Khan.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday acquitted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and party leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cypher case, as reported by Dawn. The verdict was delivered by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, who accepted the appeals of the PTI leaders against their convictions.

Despite this acquittal, Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi are not expected to be released from prison. Imran Khan remains incarcerated due to sentences in the Toshakhana and Iddat cases, while Qureshi has been detained in connection with the May 9 cases.

In January, a special court under the Official Secrets Act sentenced both Khan and Qureshi to 10 years in jail after appointing state counsel for them. The cypher case revolved around a diplomatic document that the Federal Investigation Agency alleged was never returned by Khan, who claimed it contained a threat from the US to topple his government.

Khan and Qureshi were first indicted in October and pleaded not guilty. The IHC previously declared the government’s notification for a jail trial erroneous, scrapping the proceedings. A fresh trial began in May at Adiala district jail, with the leaders indicted again in December.

On December 22, the Supreme Court approved post-arrest bails for Khan and Qureshi. However, Qureshi’s expected release was halted due to his re-arrest in a new case. In January, the special court recorded multiple witness statements, including those from Khan’s former principal secretary Azam Khan.

Amid accusations of delaying tactics by the defense, the court appointed new defense lawyers for the PTI leaders. Khan criticized the trial, calling it a “joke” and alleging bias in both the prosecution and defense teams.

(Inputs from Dawn)

VoM News Desk

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