ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday acquitted former prime minister Imran Khan and his close aide, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in a case relating to the leaking of state secrets, Khan’s lawyer and his party said.
Khan and Qureshi were serving 10 years in prison on charges of making public a classified cable sent to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington in 2022, in what is commonly known as the cipher case.
Khan has said the cable was proof of a conspiracy by the Pakistan military and the US to topple his government in 2022 after he visited Moscow just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Washington and Pakistan’s military deny that accusation.
Khan and Qureshi, who were convicted in the case in January this year, had appealed the decision in the Islamabad High Court, which set aside their convictions on Monday.
“Thank God, the sentence is overturned,” Naeem Panjutha, a member of legal team of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, said on X.
Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, a PTI member and a close Khan aide, also confirmed the development on X. “Conviction in Cypher Case set aside by IHC, appeals of IK [Imran Khan] and SMQ [Shah Mahmood Qureshi] allowed,” he said.
In response to Monday’s judgment, the Pakistani government, which says Khan violated clauses of the state secrets law by revealing contents of the secret diplomatic cable, said the prosecution was awaiting the detailed judgment to decide whether it would appeal the acquittal.
“If the prosecution felt like they should go into appeal then after reading the [detailed] judgment and analyzing all the details, it is the prosecution’s job and the prosecution is at liberty to decide,” Aqeel Malik, a government spokesman, told reporters at a press conference.
The state secrets case was one of the four cases in which Khan was convicted weeks before Pakistan’s national election in February. His sentences in two other cases have been suspended.
But Khan will remain in prison to serve a seven-year sentence in another case relating to his marriage to his third wife, Bushra Bibi, which contravened Islamic traditions.
The ex-premier, who was ousted in a parliamentary no-trust vote in April, has been in jail since last August. Arguably Pakistan’s most popular politician, Khan says all cases against him are politically motivated to keep him out of politics.
Pakistan court acquits ex-PM Khan, aide in state secrets case
https://arab.news/j88sn
Pakistan court acquits ex-PM Khan, aide in state secrets case
- The case centered around an alleged diplomatic cable that Khan used to claim his ouster in 2022 was part of ‘foreign conspiracy’
- Pakistan’s government says the prosecution is awaiting the detailed judgment to decide whether it will appeal against the acquittal
Pakistan announces national Islamic scholarship competition focused on youth
- Contest invites books, essays, poetry in multiple languages, with awards for men and women
- Best entries to be published digitally and in print, submissions due by March 31
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs on Wednesday announced a nationwide competition for books, poetry and academic papers focused on Islamic scholarship, as part of efforts to promote religious discourse addressing modern social challenges, particularly among younger generations.
The annual competition will cover works on Seerat — the biography and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) — as well as Na’at, a traditional form of devotional poetry praising the Prophet, alongside broader Islamic research and literary contributions published in Pakistan and abroad.
“Ministry of Religious Affairs ... remains committed to addressing contemporary challenges through the guidance of the Seerat-e-Tayyaba (the life of the Prophet Muhammad), describing the national competition as an important step toward promoting Islamic teachings in society,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The initiative serves as an effective platform to encourage writers and researchers working on Seerat and Islamic subjects.”
For 2026, the ministry has set the central theme for Seerat research papers as “Protection, development and character-building of the younger generation in the light of the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).”
Officials said the focus aims to encourage scholarly engagement with issues such as ethics, social responsibility and education in a rapidly changing society.
The competition will award separate cash prizes and certificates to male and female writers at national and provincial levels, while selected research papers will be published in both digital and printed formats, the statement said.
According to the ministry, works published in national, regional and foreign languages will be eligible, with eight dedicated categories covering Seerat authors and Na’at poets. Separate categories have also been introduced for women writers, journals and magazines, expanding participation beyond individual book authors.
The ministry said the competition is intended to strengthen Islamic literary traditions while encouraging new voices to engage with religious subjects in a contemporary context.
The deadline for submission of books and research papers is March 31, 2026, it added.
