In a recent development in the case involving former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar, accused ex-principal secretary Azam Khan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of breaching regulations regarding the protection of secret documents. The allegation stemmed from the misplacement of a cipher against Khan.
During the hearing before the Islamabad High Court division bench on Tuesday, Barrister Safdar contended that Azam Khan, as per Rule 6 (III) of the Secretariat Instructions, was responsible for monitoring the movement of confidential diplomatic cables and maintaining a proper record of their whereabouts. However, it was claimed that Khan failed to adhere to these rules.
Furthermore, the counsel asserted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was obligated to conduct an inquiry, inform the Intelligence Bureau (IB), and lodge a First Information Report (FIR) under Section 8.17 of the Manual of “Security of Classified Matters in Government Departments.”
Allegedly, the ministry neglected to fulfill these obligations, and Khan’s alleged negligence resulted in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) undermining its own case by designating him as a prosecution witness.
Barrister Safdar concluded his arguments, prompting the bench to adjourn further proceedings until Wednesday. It was announced that Special Prosecutor retired Justice Hamid Ali Shah would present arguments on behalf of the prosecution starting from today’s session.