ISLAMABAD: The United States said on Monday it was up to Pakistani courts to decide on all charges against former premier Imran Khan, following the overturning of his conviction in a case involving a diplomatic cable from Washington, which Khan claimed proved his administration was toppled by the US.
Khan and his close aide, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, were given 10 years in prison for sharing the contents of the classified cable, sent to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington, with their followers weeks ahead of the no-trust vote in April 2022 that brought down their government.
The former premier said the cable mentioned threatening language used by a senior American official, Donald Lu, who warned Pakistan of dire consequences if Khan survived the no-confidence vote.
The US has repeatedly denied the allegation in the past, calling it a “lie.”
“The legal proceedings against [Imran Khan] are something for the Pakistani courts to decide in – I’d say in accordance with their laws and constitution,” State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller while responding to a question about Khan’s acquittal in a media briefing.
The former Pakistan PM continues to remain in prison after being convicted in another case in which he is accused of contracting an illegal marriage.
Asked about the marriage case and the law governing his conviction, Miller reiterated the same position.
“When you come to these laws in Pakistan and this court case, it is something for the Pakistani courts to decide,” he said. “And you just saw, to this question, charges against him thrown out by the courts.”
Khan and Qureshi were acquitted in the diplomatic cable case on Monday after the Islamabad High Court announced its verdict in the matter.
The Pakistan government expressed its reservations over the decision, but it has not filed an appeal against it as yet.
