In another landmark judgement, the Islamabad High Court on Monday suspended the sentence awarded to PTI founder Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case.
The trial court had sentenced both the party leaders to 10-year prison each.
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Gul Hasan Aurangzeb heard the appeals against the punishment of the PTI founder and Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
The lawyers of both sides advanced their arguments and the court earlier reserved the judgement.
Earlier, on Monday in the IHC, appeals against the convictions of PTI founder Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the cipher case were heard by a division bench. Barristers Salman Safdar, Taimur Malik, and others represented the appellants, while FIA prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi was absent.
Barrister Salman Safdar argued that there is no documentation proving that former Principal Secretary Azam Khan handed the cipher to Imran Khan. Safdar stressed the prosecution’s responsibility to prove the case, referencing clear legal standards and Supreme Court decisions. He charged the late-night recording of statements and the subsequent early-morning recording of the accused’s statement under Section 342, asserting that the judgment was made in a hurry.
Also read: PTI founder and Qureshi awarded 10-year jail term in cipher case
Safdar questioned how there could be charges for retaining the cipher that was lost and highlighted the lack of action against those who returned the eight copies of the cipher after the FIR was registered. He argued that the prosecution’s request for additional documents indicated the failure to prove the case.
Barrister Safdar contended the accused be discharged, noting that the court was not told about any specific country with which relations had worsened. In response, the Chief Justice referenced the prosecution’s statement from the previous hearing, which suggested the case be sent back to the trial court.
Safdar pointed out that the prosecution’s dependence on a Supreme Court decision was mislaid as it pertained to a civil matter. The defense lawyers opposed remanding the case back to the trial court and completed their arguments.
Previously, the Islamabad High Court had sought arguments on the admissibility of appeals against the convictions of Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi. On January 30, both were sentenced to 10 years in prison in the cipher case.
