In Islamabad, the Special Official Secrets Act Court has denied bail to Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi. The court heard the bail requests of PTI Chairman Imran
Khan and PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, where their legal teams presented arguments. PTI Chairman Salman Safdar’s lawyer submitted written arguments, highlighting the alleged political vendetta against Imran Khan, with over 180 cases filed against him, including 140 prior to his arrest.
Salman Safdar argued that this case extended beyond an individual, suggesting that the entire cabinet should face prosecution. He claimed that Imran Khan’s arrest was based on bailable charges related to sharing secrets with an enemy nation. The responsibility for the leaked cipher document, received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 7, 2022, should be investigated, and the accountability lies with the Prime Minister’s staff.
Imran Khan’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, questioned the secrecy aspect, pointing out that the document was discussed in the National Security Committee but was never publicly disclosed. He argued that the document’s content had not been made public.
Babar Awan, Imran Khan’s lawyer, questioned the theft of the cipher document and the subsequent cabinet meeting regarding it. He presented a video conversation involving former army chief Qamar Bajwa, where it was referred to as a paper rather than a cipher. He argued that further investigation was warranted due to these discrepancies.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s lawyer, Shoaib Shaheen, contended that there were no documents directly linking Shah Mehmood Qureshi to the case, and his speech only mentioned the name without divulging sensitive information.
The judge sought clarification regarding the cipher’s movement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary and the whereabouts of the documents. The lawyers argued that the responsibility for handling such documents lay with the staff.
PTI’s lawyer, Shirafazl Marwat, emphasized the need to define the end of classified information under the Secret Act of 1923 and suggested that the act was originally aimed at journalists, not political figures. He questioned the nature of the cipher and its political implications, highlighting events leading to the government’s collapse.
During the hearing, FIA prosecutors requested an in-camera session for their arguments, and the court granted their request. The court later reserved its verdict on the bail applications of Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the cipher case, ultimately rejecting their pleas.
