After the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan and Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi got relief from the Islamabad High Court in cipher case, a federal government’s spokesperson on legal affairs said on Monday that the courts should be “mindful” of national security while deciding on the sensitive matters.
Barrister Aqeel Malik, the federal government’s spokesperson for legal affairs, stated this while addressing a press conference in Islamabad shortly after the IHC acquitted the top PTI leaders in the cipher case.
“Detailed verdict of the case is due to arrive,” Barrister Malik said, insisting that the cipher case was a “reality” which cannot be denied.
He said that the former prime minister waved a classified document at a public gathering, whereas, then-principal secretary Azam Khan also confessed about a “missing copy of the cipher”.
“Nothing is more important than our national security. The prosecution will decide on challenging the IHC’s ruling after the issuance of a detailed verdict,” the lawyer-cum-politician said.
He urged that the courts to never ignore the national security’s aspect in any case and the cipher case should be sent for retrial. Malik further clarified that both the accused were not sentenced “at the behest of any individual”.
He vowed that the federal government and the armed forces would never compromise on the national security affairs.