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Profit IHC ACQUITS IMRAN, QURESHI IN CYPHER CASE Tuesday, 4 June, 2024 I |26 Zil-Qadah, 1445
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Rs 20.00 | Vol XIV No 335 I 8 Pages I Islamabad Edition
DESPITE ACQUITTAL, THE DUO ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE RELEASED FROM PRISON
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PTI founder, Qureshi, others acquitted in vandalism cases
ISLAMABAD
MIAN ABRAR
HE Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday acquitted the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan and PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the Cypher case. The court suspended their 10-year sentence as it heard the appeal by the incarcerated ex-PM Imran and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi against their conviction in the case. However, despite acquittal, the duo are not expected to be released from prison due to Imran’s sentence in the Iddat case while Qureshi was arrested in recent May 9 cases. The Iddat case was transferred to another judge today while Qureshi is on physical remand till June 5 (Wednesday). On January 30, the special court established under the Official Secrets Act awarded Imran and Qureshi 10 years imprisonment in the high-profile cipher case. On March 19, the IHC noted that the speeches delivered by Imran and Qureshi at a public rally in Islamabad on March 27, 2022, “appear to be political in nature.” A division bench comprising the IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb hear the appeals. The PTI’s lawyer informed the court that in the case, Imran and Qureshi were accused of illegally possessing the secret document, disclosing classified information to the public, and manipulating it for personal gain. “However, even the special court judge [who convicted the PTI leaders] was not shown the said diplomatic cypher,” he said. Chief Justice Farooq remarked “If the information has been twisted, then it should be known what the information was.” Barrister Safdar stated that the PTI leaders were accused of holding and misusing classified information for their purposes. However, in this case, the prosecution failed to link the alleged crime with revealing secrets concerning the armed forces and sensitive areas to foreign powers.
PTI WELCOMES COURT VERDICT, GOVT AWAITS DETAILED JUDGMENT
ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Justice Aurangzeb inquired, “What was written in the cypher?” The lawyer replied, “I haven’t seen the cipher, so I can’t tell what is written in it.” He said the cipher code or its text has not been shared anywhere. “On one hand, it is said that the PTI founder has made everything public; on the other hand, it is said that if the cipher is shown, it will become public.” The court asked what was communicated from Washington in the cypher. It said the person who had sent that communication must have pinpointed what might compromise our security if it fell into the hands of India. The bench noted there was nothing unusual in the information shared with the court. The FIA prosecutor reminded the court that they were awaiting the court’s permission to present arguments against the maintainability of the appeal. The bench noted that it would deliver a verdict on the merit of the appeals as well as their maintainability at the same time. At the next hearing, Imran Khan’s counsel Barrister Salman Safdar contended before the IHC that registering the cipher case only against his client was an ‘act of retaliation’ as others had not returned the copies of
the diplomatic cable until it was filed. Safdar maintained that the requirements of a fair trial under Article 10A had not been fulfilled. The lawyer told the court that the diplomatic cable was not shown to the investigation officer (IO) terming it ‘secret’. The bench observed that the judge could have ordered under the Official Secrets Act that the document should be shown after removing all the people from the courtroom. PTI welcomes court verdict “A big day for the leader and the party. A fake, frivolous and fraudulent case is sent packing by IHC. Other cases will also meet their Waterloo soon. Khan will step out of Adiala as the undisputed leader of a resurgent nation. Congratulations everyone,” said PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan. Talking to the media, PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said: “The nation saw today that the just verdict came and the banner of justice was held high and that baseless case was eliminated in which Imran Khan spent around 10 months in jail and for which he was kept in jail all the time. Today is a day of happiness … very soon the nation will see that Imran Khan will be outside.” PTI Senator Barrister Ali Zafar said
The Islamabad district and sessions court Monday acquitted former prime minister Imran Khan and PTI central leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi in two cases registered during the Haqeeqi Azadi March. The sessions court heard two cases filed against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership for vandalism during the Azadi March. During the hearing, PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan, Naeem Haider Panjotha, Sardar Masroof Advocate, Amina Ali Advocate appeared before the court along with Former Minister Asad Umar. Later, the court acquitted Imran Khan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi and others in vandalism cases. while talking to Geo News that the verdict was a victory for justice, even if it was delayed due to the prosecution’s tactics. “The decision is as per justice and was expected. It was hoped that the decision would be exactly this,” he said. Zafar added that the verdict proved the PTI’s stance that the cipher case was a “false one” and said the government should seek forgiveness from Imran for imprisoning him in jail for an “illegal and wrong case”. Imran’s counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar, said the state had “badly failed” in proving its case and even its prosecutors had abandoned the case. “Hats off to the honourable judges. It was a case of first impression. Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi did not do any anti-state activity,” he said. He also lauded the two leaders for their patience and forbearance in the case and for not pestering the legal team about questions
It is pertinent to note that two cases were registered against Imran Khan, Shah Mehmood and other leaders in Golra police station in 2022. Earlier, former PM Imran Khan was acquitted in two May 9 cases. Violent clashes broke out across Pakistan after former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested on May 9, 2023. The protests were held in remote and major cities as the party workers were agitated due to their chairman’s arrest, with Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad summoning the armed forces to ensure law and order. Army installations, including Corps Commander’s house in Lahore, had come under attack during the protests by PTI workers. It is pertinent to mention that the PTI founder is named as main accused in all the May 9 riots cases. of release. Safdar said the cipher case was the most important and serious one yet, adding that Imran’s release was near. “The high court declared today that there was no traitor here whose case was being heard. Whatever Imran Khan did was in the national interest.” A statement issued by the PTI requested the judiciary that the “false cases” against all political prisoners be dealt with as soon as possible and they should be released from jail. Speaking in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said someone should be answerable for keeping Imran behind bars given that the cipher case was discarded. “Who is responsible for this? Who made this case?” he asked while addressing the provincial assembly, adding that he would hold the people who filed the case accountable.
PM defers IMF’s proposed tax Alvi calls for ‘urgent’ dialogue hike on salaried individuals among all stakeholders
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Instructs finance ministry to request IMF to drop proposal
PROFIT MONITORING DESK
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has deferred the approval to increase the effective income tax rate for salaried individuals, raising hopes to block the controversial condition set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Instead, the premier instructed the finance ministry to request the IMF to drop the proposal. The IMF has proposed extracting an additional Rs600 billion annually from salaried and non-salaried business individuals.
The Express Tribune reported that during the last meeting on taxation proposals for the new budget, the prime minister did not endorse the condition to increase the tax burden on the salaried class. Pakistan’s salaried individuals are among the top taxpayers after bank depositors, contractors, and import stage taxes. In the first eight months of this fiscal year, salaried individuals paid Rs216 billion in taxes. The IMF has recommended rationalising tax rates for individuals by removing the distinction between salaried and non-salaried
categories and reducing the number of rate slabs to no more than four. It has also suggested lowering the income threshold for higherrate slabs. Salaried individuals have five tax brackets with rates of 2.5%, 12.5%, 22.5%, 27.5%, and 35%, with the highest tax bracket starting at an annual income of Rs 6 million. The IMF has also demanded that the current incometax exemption threshold be retained at Rs50,000 monthly income, which would adversely affect lower middle-income groups earning between Rs51,000 and Rs100,000 a month. The government aims for a Rs12.9 trillion tax collection target for the next fiscal year, requiring a 40% or Rs3.6 trillion increase from this year’s expected collection. In its budget recommendations, the IMF has also asked Pakistan to withdraw all income tax credits and allowances, particularly those available to teachers and researchers, and to end education expense allowances and workers’ welfare fund-related tax credits.
LAHORE
STAFF REPORT
Senior PTI leader and former president Dr Arif Alvi on Monday called for urgent dialogue among Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and all other stakeholders to help the country navigate out of its current political turmoil. Addressing a gathering of PTI office-bearers and various wings in Lahore, Dr Alvi congratulated PTI workers, supporters, and the people of Pakistan on the acquittal of Imran Khan, along with former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in the cypher case. The meeting was chaired by PTI Central Punjab President Ejaz Manhas, with notable PTI senior leaders such as Azam Khan Swati, Brigadier (retd) Ejaz Shah, Dr Azeemuddin Lakho, Sardar Azeemullah Advocate, and Zubair Kisan in attendance. The former president reiterated the importance of dialogue to resolve the political crisis, stressing that all stakeholders must participate as it is the sole path to improvement in Pakistan. In his address, Dr Alvi criticised the Pakistan Muslim League-
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Nawaz (PML-N) government, accusing it of rampant corruption and mismanagement. He claimed that the PML-N leadership has fostered numerous new ‘Gullu Butts’ over the past two years, with corruption escalating since the regime change. Praising the PTI government’s social welfare initiatives, the PTI leader stated that Imran Khan had earnestly worked towards transforming Pakistan into a welfare state modelled after the state of Madinah. “Imran Khan aimed to create a society where everyone is equal and has access to basic necessities,” he remarked, accusing the PML-N of plotting to overthrow Imran Khan’s administration. Dr Alvi maintained that although the PTI government was removed through a conspiracy, they will not rest until they regain power to continue serving the people of Pakistan. The meeting also discussed organising workers’ conventions in various cities across Punjab. Speaking to the media, Dr Alvi condemned the baseless cases filed against PTI workers, commending the judiciary for upholding the law. He
stressed that justice should be equal for all and urged that the nation must overcome its current predicament. He called on the army, civilians, and politicians to learn from the Hamoodur Rahman Commission report and step back from inappropriate actions. He insisted that all institutions must extricate themselves from their current deadlocks to progress. He emphasised the need for construction and growth, asserting that progress cannot be achieved without dialogue. He questioned the practicality of communication through newspapers and criticised the notion of demanding apologies from those in jail. The former president also defended PTI’s right to request a judge to recuse themselves and asserted that the prime minister has a duty to disclose matters of national interest. He questioned whether a section officer should dictate what the prime minister can reveal and warned that the courts’ reputation would suffer if these issues were not addressed. He recounted being barred from visiting PTI leader Mian Mahmoodur Rashid at Services Hospital by the on-duty SHO, who asked if he had a permit for the visit.
SC Judge observes public casted vote for PTI-backed nominees RESERVED SEATS CASE ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
A full bench of the Supreme Court (SC) is currently hearing the Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) petition against the denial of reserved National Assembly (NA) seats for women and minorities. The apex court constituted a full court to hear the case concerning seats reserved for women and minorities, brought forward by the SIC. The bench included all judges except Justice Musarrat Hilali. The 13-member bench, comprising Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Munib Akhtar, Yahya Afridi, Aminuddin Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Ayesha Malik, Athar Minallah, Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Shahid Waheed, Irfan Saadat Khan, and Naeem Akhtar Afghan, resumed the hearing on Monday. As the hearing commenced, the SIC’s lawyers approached the rostrum, with Siddiqi reading out the May 6 order. He argued that assigning reserved seats to other parties violated specific articles of the Constitution. Siddiqi referenced an ECP letter to support
the SIC’s entitlement to reserved seats in the National Assembly. CJP Isa then asked Siddiqi for details on the beneficiaries and a breakdown of the additional seats allocated to ruling coalition parties. Siddiqi noted discrepancies in the numbers provided by the electoral watchdog. Justice Isa further inquired about the partywise allocation of these additional seats, which Siddiqi provided along with details for provincial assemblies. The ECP counsel was summoned to clarify the number of additionally allocated reserved seats for women in the NA, confirming 23 seats. Siddiqi also presented the number of general seats won by each party in the recent elections, emphasizing the SIC’s status as a parliamentary party. Questions arose regarding the candidates’ affiliations during the nomination process, and whether they were considered independent despite their party ties. Siddiqi explained that the candidates were instructed by the ECP to contest as independents. CJP Isa asked if any beneficiary parties were supporting the SIC, to which Siddiqi responded with a smile. Opposing counsels from several parties then presented their
stance to the court. When asked about the SIC’s registration as a political party, Siddiqi affirmed the ECP’s recognition without dispute. The discussion continued on the PTI’s status after losing its electoral symbol, with questions raised about its rights under election laws. Justice Minallah queried if the PTI was an enlisted party of the ECP, suggesting that this clarification would address the main question at hand. On May 6, a three-member top court bench overturned the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) decision, which had refused to allocate reserved seats to SIC, now serving as a political refuge for PTI lawmakers-elect. Later that month, the PPP, which along with the PML-N had benefited from the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) March 4 decision to distribute the seats among various parliamentary parties, appointed senior counsel Farooq H. Naek to represent them in the case. Following the Supreme Court’s May 6 decision, the ECP on May 14 suspended the victory notifications of 77 lawmakers allocated reserved seats, affecting the ruling coalition’s two-thirds majority in the Na-
tional Assembly. Advocates Salman Akram Raja appeared for SIC, while Faisal Siddiqi represented the party’s female candidates who were denied the reserved seats. At the start of the hearing, SIC’s coun-
sels addressed the court, with Siddiqi reading aloud the May 6 order. The lawyer referenced an ECP letter dated April 24, stating that SIC, having 82 general seats in the National Assembly, was entitled to reserved seats.