The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has scheduled a hearing for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s petition seeking post-arrest bail in the cipher case.
Chief Justice Aamer Farooq will preside over the hearing on Monday, September 25, as per a cause list issued by the IHC registrar for the upcoming week.
Imran Khan and PTI’s Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi have been in custody on judicial remand in the cipher case until September 26, following the rejection of their post-arrest bail pleas by a special court established under the Official Secrets Act.
The cipher case, widely referred to as “Ciphergate,” dates back to March 27, 2022, when Imran Khan, shortly before his removal from office in April 2022, claimed to possess a classified letter from the United States.
He alleged that the letter contained instructions for his government’s removal from power but did not disclose its contents or the country’s name.
However, he later identified the United States as the sender, specifically naming Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs Donald Lu.
The cipher centered around a meeting between former Pakistan ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed, and Donald Lu. Imran Khan asserted that “all will be forgiven for Pakistan if Imran Khan is removed from power,” quoting from the cipher.
The matter escalated when the National Security Committee (NSC) addressed the issue on March 31 and decided to issue a “strong demarche” to the United States, citing interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs.
After Imran Khan’s removal from office, his successor, Shehbaz Sharif, convened another NSC meeting, concluding that there was no evidence of a foreign conspiracy in the cipher.
The case took a significant turn when Azam Khan, Imran Khan’s principal secretary, admitted before a magistrate and the FIA that the former PM had exploited the US cipher for “political gains” and to avert a vote of no-confidence.
Azam Khan further revealed that Imran Khan utilized the US cipher in political gatherings, despite his advice to avoid such actions.
He also disclosed that the former PM believed the cipher could divert public attention towards “foreign involvement” in the opposition’s no-confidence motion.
