Courts should be 'mindful' of national security, govt reacts to IHC's cipher ruling

• Barrister Malik says cipher case a “reality” which cannot be denied.
• Spokesperson says prosecution to decide on challenging verdict.
• Says govt, army to never compromise on national security.

After the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi got relief from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) 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. 

In a major relief to the embattled former ruling party, the IHC annulled Imran and Qureshi’s conviction in the infamous cipher case containing charges of misusing and misplacing the classified diplomatic document.

“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.

The politico, however, clarified that the federal government accepted the verdicts of the courts and never criticised the judiciary unlike a certain political party which continued to “malign the honourable judges”.

IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb announced the short verdict on the pleas challenging the conviction in the cipher case after reserving it earlier today.

The PTI founder and party's vice-chairman were sentenced to 10 years each in prison in the cipher case in January this year.

The case pertains to allegations that the former prime minister had made public contents of a secret cable sent by the country's ambassador in Washington to the government in Islamabad.

The latest relief for the PTI founder came days after IHC approved his bail petition in the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) settlement reference on May 15.