Former Pakistan ambassador to the United States Asad Majeed on Tuesday denied mentioning any “threat” or “conspiracy” in the secret cypher telegram before a special court.
The court is holding trial of former prime minister Imran Khan and PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi inside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail for allegedly manipulating the cypher for political gains in March 2022, ahead of a no-confidence motion that resulted in the end of the PTI’s rule.
The court presided over by Judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain recorded testimonies of six more prosecution witnesses including Majeed today.
In his statement, Majeed said that on March 7, 2022, US diplomat Donald Lu was invited to a luncheon which was hosted at the Pakistan House in Washington.
He said that both sides were aware that the minutes of the meeting were being recorded, adding that he reported the conversation in cypher telegram to Islamabad. However, he added that there was no mention of any “threat” or “conspiracy.”
Majeed mentioned being summoned to the National Security Committee meeting, where a decision to issue demarche to the United States was made after his proposal. He also said the cypher issue was a “setback” for Pakistan-US relations.
