- A special court under the Official Secrets Act approved the pre-arrest bail of Asad Umar.
- PTI chief Imran Khan and vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi were booked.
- The case began when Imran Khan claimed a foreign nation’s cipher hinted at his government’s removal, late.
In a recent development, a special court established under the Official Secrets Act has approved the pre-arrest bail of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar in a case related to a US cipher.
The decision came after the special prosecutor, Shah Khawar, informed the judge that there was no immediate need for Umar’s arrest, as no evidence had been collected against him so far in the ongoing investigation related to the diplomatic cable that PTI claimed contained proof of US involvement in the removal of the Imran Khan-led government in April of the previous year.
The prosecutor assured the court that if any evidence against Umar surfaced during the ongoing investigation, he would be duly informed. In response to this statement, PTI counsel Babar Awan requested the judge to grant Umar’s bail, which was subsequently approved by the judge against a surety bond of Rs50,000.
Judge Zulqarnain noted that Umar had expressed his willingness to cooperate with the investigation into the cipher case, but the prosecution had not initiated any proceedings against him. He emphasized that if Umar’s arrest became necessary in the future, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) would follow due legal procedures and ordered the FIA to inform Umar in advance should such a situation arise.
This development follows the recent booking of PTI chief Imran Khan and the party’s vice chairman, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, under the Official Secrets Act. They were alleged to have misplaced and misused a classified document for political gain.
Both leaders were arrested in connection with the investigation, and a special court was established under the Official Secrets Act to try them. The court had extended their judicial remand until September 26 in the cipher case.
The controversy surrounding the cipher case began in March 2022 when Imran Khan, shortly before his removal from office, revealed a letter he claimed was a cipher from a foreign nation, hinting at his government’s removal. He later identified the United States as the sender and accused Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs, Donald Lu, of seeking his removal.
The case gained significance when Imran Khan’s principal secretary, Azam Khan, confessed that the US cipher had been used for political purposes, including creating a narrative against the establishment and opposition. Azam Khan revealed that Imran Khan had used the cipher at political gatherings to divert public attention toward alleged foreign involvement in a vote of no-confidence motion.
In a subsequent meeting of the National Security Committee, it was concluded that there was no evidence of a foreign conspiracy in the cipher.