By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A special court in will formally charge former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his former foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, next week with leaking state secrets, a case that could further erode the political fortunes of the jailed opposition leader.
The case stems from a diplomatic cable that Khan claimed to have received from the United States in March 2022, warning him of dire consequences if he continued to pursue closer ties with Russia.
Khan, who was ousted in a parliamentary vote of no confidence in April 2022, accused the United States and the Pakistani military of conspiring to topple his government. The document allegedly went missing from Khan’s possession when he was in power.
The Federal Investigation Agency, which filed the charge sheet against Khan and Qureshi, said they had divulged the contents of a classified document to unauthorized individuals and distorted facts “with ulterior motives and personal gains, thereby jeopardizing state security interest.”
Qureshi, who is the vice-chairman of the PTI, and a co-accused of being involved in the cipher case, has been on judicial remand since September.
The special court judge, Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain order to charge both the senior leader of opposition PTI party on a missing diplomatic document case on Oct. 17. Khan and Qureshi, if convicted, they could face up to 14 years in prison.
The FIA submitted a charge sheet against Khan and Qureshi on Sept. 30, declaring them as principal accused in the cipher case. The charge sheet was provided to them on Monday during a hearing at the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, where they are being held.
Khan is already serving a three-year sentence in a separate corruption case, in which he was found guilty of hiding assets he obtained from selling gifts he received from foreign leaders when he was prime minister. The conviction has effectively barred him from contesting the next general elections, which are expected to be held in January.
He has challenged the verdict and sought a suspension of the sentence. Khan has also moved the Islamabad High Court against his jail trial in the cipher case.
Khan’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, told reporters after the hearing that his client had protested before the judge about his treatment at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, where he is being held. He said Khan had high blood pressure and was given a room where it was difficult to live or move.
“The chairman protested that he was given a room where it is difficult to live, it is also difficult to move or walk in the cell,” Safdar said, referring to Khan’s position as the chairman of his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
He also called for the trial to be conducted in an open court rather than in jail.
The decision to prosecute Khan for exposing official secrets was taken by the then government of Pakistan Muslim Leaque’s leader Shehbaz Sharif, who is also facing corruption charges and is widely seen as an ally of the powerful military establishment.
The case is based on a statement by Azam Khan, who was Khan’s principal secretary when he was prime minister. He told the court that Khan had manipulated a US diplomatic encrypted letter to serve his political goals.
Khan had traveled to Moscow on the eve of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and said the US and Pakistan’s own army were opposed to him for pursuing an independent foreign policy. Both deny the charge.
Khan waved a piece of paper at public rallies saying he was holding a copy of a secret diplomatic letter, which spoke of dire consequences if he continued to get closer to Russia. The US government has denied sending any such letter to Khan or anyone else in his government.
Khan’s supporters have condemned the cipher case as a witch hunt and a violation of his fundamental rights.
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