The Supreme Court of Pakistan has rejected all three petitions requesting an investigation into a cipher presented by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in March 2022, claiming it was evidence of a “foreign conspiracy” to overthrow his government.
After an in-chamber hearing on petitions submitted by three attorneys asking for the creation of a “high-powered commission” to look into the alleged foreign conspiracy, Justice Qazi Faez Isa handed down the decision. The petitions listed the Prime Minister, the Cabinet Secretary, and the Federation of Pakistan as respondents.
The Registrar’s Office, who had voiced concerns about the direct approach to the high court without exhausting other forums, had previously rejected the applications. The petitioners then submitted new arguments in opposition to the objections.
Justice Isa questioned whether the court should be involved in foreign affairs during the hearing and whether Imran Khan, as Prime Minister, had decided to look into the situation. He continued by saying that the Prime Minister was in charge of all authorities and that Imran Khan had full authority to order an investigation.
Justice Isa also questioned whether the world’s cyphers should be sent to the Supreme Court rather than the Foreign Ministry and inquired as to what effect the cypher had on fundamental rights. He added that there is a remedy if someone is not even qualified to serve as prime minister and that the judiciary cannot meddle in the affairs of the executive.
Imran Khan revealed a letter at a rally on March 27 and claimed it contained proof of a foreign conspiracy to overthrow his government, which caused the controversy surrounding the no-confidence motion against him to take an unexpected turn.
Imran Khan claimed that the US was responsible for orchestrating his overthrow. This claim was supported by a cypher that the US received from Pakistan’s ambassador to the country, Asad Majeed, who had reported on a meeting with Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs Donald Lu.
Majeed had reportedly stated that Donald Lu warned that Imran Khan’s continued office, who was facing a vote of no confidence, would negatively impact bilateral relations. However, the Pentagon and the State Department repeatedly rejected the accusations, stating that there was no veracity to them.
The National Security Committee took up the issue and sent a “strong demarche” over what it referred to as “blatant interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan” to a nation that it did not name. During a meeting on April 22, the NSC did not discover any proof of a foreign conspiracy.
