Despite acquittal in cipher case, Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi will remain in jail

ISLAMABAD: Despite their acquittal in the cipher case, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s release from jail is still not possible, at least for time being.

Though the Islamabad High Court has acquitted both leaders in the cipher case, their immediate release was almost unlikely owing to some other cases in which they have been implicated.

Imran Khan will continue to serve his jail term due to his sentence in the Iddat case, which was transferred to another judge today.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday accepted a request from Sessions Court Judge Shahrukh Arjumand to transfer the Iddat case to another court.

Judge Arjumand had written to the IHC registrar on May 29 after the complainant, Khawar Maneka, the former husband of Bushra Bibi, expressed no confidence in him, deeming it inappropriate for him to decide the matter.

The judge noted that this was the second time Maneka had shown no trust in him, following the dismissal of a previous no-confidence application. Consequently, Arjumand requested that the case be transferred.

In his letter, Judge Arjumand also highlighted that Maneka and his lawyer had previously attempted to delay the hearings, suggesting that a timeframe should be set for completing the case.

Meanwhile, Qureshi was earlier arrested in connection with May 9 related cases by the Lahore police and he is on physical remand until June 5 (Wednesday).

According to jail sources, Qureshi is currently detained in connection with eight cases registered in Lahore related to the May 9 incidents.

The Lahore police showed him arrested in Adiala jail on May 25. On May 26, a five-member investigation team from Lahore’s JIT also visited Adiala jail and probed him.

Qureshi has also been physically remanded by a Lahore court in these eight cases.

It should be noted that Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi had appealed against their sentences in the cipher case, where a special court had initially sentenced the two leaders to 10 years in prison.

A special court, established under the Official Secrets Act, handed down these sentences in January after Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain appointed a state counsel for them.

The cipher case pertains to a diplomatic document that the Federal Investigation Agency’s charge sheet alleged was never returned by Imran Khan, who has long maintained that the document contained a threat from the US to topple his government.

The FIA’s investigation led to charges against both Khan and Qureshi, culminating in their initial convictions.