The Supreme Court (SC) approved on Friday former prime minister Imran Khan and ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s bail in the cipher case.

They have been granted bail against the surety bonds worth Rs1 million each. Imran and Qureshi are currently incarcerated in Adiala Jail.

A three-member bench, headed by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and comprising Justices Athar Minallah and Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, announced the verdict.

Background

A case was registered against Imran and PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi under Sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923. It is related to the “misuse” of alleged contents of a diplomatic cipher, cited by ex-premier Imran as proof of the attempt to remove his government.

Last month, the special court indicted Imran and Qureshi in the cipher case. The duo then approached the SC for bail.

It is pertinent to mention that on December 13, a special court established under the Official Secrets Act indicted both of them again in the case.

On December 4, in an informal conversation with journalists inside Adiala Jail during the hearing of the cipher case, Imran said: “I will include General Bajwa and US embassy officials as witnesses in the case”.

“General Bajwa did everything on Donald Lu’s directives,” maintained a confident Imran.