Cypher Case: Shah Mehmood Qureshi Moves Islamabad HC Against Conviction

Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the vice chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and a former foreign minister, filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday challenging his conviction in the Cypher case.

On January 30, a special court established under the Official Secrets Act sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to ten years in prison in the cypher case.

According to sources, Shah Mehmood Qureshi filed an appeal against the cypher case conviction, urging the IHC to nullify and invalidate the decision of the trial court on January 30.

The plea argued that the trial of the cypher case did not adhere to legal procedures, and that procedural violations occurred during the trial, which commenced on August 15 last year. Notably, the First Information Report (FIR) was filed on August 15 under the Official Secrets Act, following a complaint lodged by the Home Secretary.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, ex-Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, former Principal Secretary Azam Khan, and former Planning Minister Asad Umar were named in the report.

It’s important to highlight that the cypher case revolves around a diplomatic document that, according to the charge sheet from the Federal Investigation Agency, was never returned by Imran Khan. PTI asserted that the document contained a threat from the United States to remove Imran as prime minister. Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi have been undergoing trial at Adiala Jail since last year for allegedly distorting the facts of the diplomatic cypher case. Both PTI leaders were accused of conspiring to misuse the contents of the cypher for illicit purposes.