Pak: Declassified diplomatic cypher copies handed over to Foreign Office
Jun 04, 2024
Islamabad [Pakistan], June 4 : The National Assembly speaker and Senate chairman offices have officially transferred copies of the cypher to the Foreign Office, ARY News reported citing sources.
During the PTI government's tenure, nine top offices were provided with declassified copies of the confidential diplomatic cable. However, by the time a case was filed against the former PM and ex-foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on August 15, 2023, only the Presidency had returned their copy.
Both the National Assembly speaker and Senate chairman offices returned their copies under the label of security copies, intending to discourage their exploitation for political gains, according to insider accounts, ARY News reported.
It's worth noting that the Foreign Office had previously requested the return of the cypher copies in August 2023, underscoring the sensitivity of the issue.
Recently, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) acquitted former Prime Minister Imran Khan and PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the cypher case. Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb delivered the verdict on pleas challenging the conviction in the cypher case.
The cypher case, which dates back to January 30, saw a special court sentencing both former Prime Minister Imran Khan and PTI founder Shah Mahmood Qureshi to 10 years in jail each.
The charges revolved around accusations of conspiring to misuse the contents of the cypher for illicit purposes. The court's verdict emphasised that the prosecution had presented substantial evidence supporting the charges against the two PTI leaders.
The case, initiated under the Official Secrets Act, stemmed from an FIR lodged on August 15 based on the complaint of the Home Secretary, ARY News reported.
