Pakistan's ex-prime minister Imran Khan booked under Official Secrets Act 

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan was booked under the Official Secrets Act 1923 for allegedly leaking the details of a confidential diplomatic cable from the country's embassy in the US.

The 70-year-old, who is currently serving a three-year jail term in a corruption case, was booked under Section 5 of the recently amended act following a first information report (FIR) registered by the counterterrorism wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), The News reported quoting sources.

The FIA filed the case after finding his deliberate involvement in misusing the cipher (a classified diplomatic document), the report said

It is said that the case was filed a few days ago, but the authorities have declined to share a copy of the FIR.

More trouble for Imran Khan 

Offences under Section 5, if proved in a court of law, involve punishment of imprisonment from two to 14 years, and in some cases even a death sentence.

Khan, in the days before he was ousted due to no-confidence motion, had cited the cipher to allege US’ involvement in toppling his government. 

He had brandished the cipher at a public rally to back his claims. The US has time and again denied such allegations, terming them “categorically false”.

Dawn newspaper later reported that former principal secretary Azam Khan handed over the cipher to the PTI chief, who later told him that he had misplaced it and did not return it despite repeated requests.

US pressured Pakistan to remove Imran Khan 

What is the cipher case?

The cipher contained details of a purported meeting that took between US State Department officials, including Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu, and then Pakistani envoy Asad Majeed Khan.

Also read | Diplomatic cables reveal US pressured Pakistan to remove Imran Khan

The meeting took place in the backdrop of Khan’s visit to Moscow after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2021, which angered the Biden administration.

Months after his exit, Khan in his nationwide rallies constantly raked up the cypher and the alleged US conspiracy against his government.

Also read | Inquiry ordered after 'coded conversation' between Imran Khan and Attock Jail staffer spooks officials

In an interview to VOA earlier this year, Khan again shared the contents of the cipher.

"Well, the cipher is a reality. It was an official meeting [that] initiated [conversation on] both sides, between Donald Lu, the undersecretary of state for South Asia, and the Pakistan ambassador, and this was brought to the National Security Committee and Cabinet," Khan said.

"Having said that, it's in the past; we have to move on. It's in the interest of Pakistan to have good relations with the US, and that's what we intend to do," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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