PTI calls for trial of Imran’s military secretary in cipher case

“Bilawal Bhutto does not know cipher’s mechanism,” insists Omar Ayub

Khayam Abbasi

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Omar Ayub Khan Monday called for the trial of former prime minister Imran Khan’s military secretary in the diplomatic cable case.

Talking to journalists outside the Parliament House, Ayub, alongside PTI’s newly elected chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, said that keeping the cipher documents safe was the responsibility of the then-prime minister’s military secretary.

“If the case is to proceed, it should be proceeded against these persons [military secretary].”

In January 2024, PTI founder Imran and party’s senior leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi were sentenced to 10 years, each, in the cipher case.

Speaking on the occasion, the PTI leader demanded a “judicial inquiry” into the ciphergate case.

Commenting on the PPP chairman’s address in the lower house of parliament, Ayub said Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari used unparliamentary words today. “Bilawal Bhutto does not know the cipher’s mechanism.”

For his part, Barrister Gohar said that the party wanted to move forward, despite problems. Slamming the eight-party ruling alliance, the PTI leader said that they themselves were “crises” and added that they could not steer the country out of the crises.

Earlier today, responding to the remarks made by the PPP chairman regarding the cipher case, wherein the ex-prime minister was discussed, Asad Qaiser called for the constitution of a judicial commission to investigate the controversy.

Imran was sentenced on the cases that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had termed as “lies”, Qasier said while taking a jibe at the Shehbaz Sharif-led party.

Lamenting the alleged crackdown on party leadership and workers, Qaiser, the former NA speaker, stressed that the PTI founder didn’t flee — in the wake of the crackdown and legal woes — and will not compromise on his principles.

“Neither our leader nor we would compromise,” he added while calling for the party leadership to be released along with the withdrawal of cases filed against top leadership, including Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi.

In response to Bilawal’s remarks calling for stakeholders to sit together, Qaiser questioned whether the PPP chief was unaware of the worst election rigging in the country’s history in the February 8 polls.