Asad Umar, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was granted bail in a case involving US cypher by a special court constituted under the Official Secrets Act after a prosecution informed the judge that his arrest was not necessary at this time.
The PTI leader’s request for pre-arrest bail in the cypher case involving the diplomatic cable that the PTI claimed included evidence of US involvement in the overthrow of the Imran Khan-led government in April of last year was heard by Judge Abul Hasnat Mohammad Zulqarnain.
Special Prosecutor Shah Khawar informed the judge that “Asad Umar’s arrest is not required in the case as of now and no evidence against him has been gathered yet.”
He added that if any evidence was found against Umar in the ongoing inquiry into the cypher issue, Umar would be informed.
Following the prosecution’s response, PTI attorney Babar Awan urged the judge to grant Umar’s bail in the case. Following the prosecutor’s testimony, the judge granted the PTI leader’s request for bail in exchange for a Rs. 50,000 surety bond.
Umar showed a desire to participate in the cypher investigation, but the prosecution chose not to look into him in the case, according to Judge Zulqarnain.
The judge instructed the FIA (Federal Investigation Agency) to follow the law if Asad Umar’s detention was necessary.
Additionally, he instructed the FIA to alert the PTI leader in advance of the arrest before making one.
Imran Khan, the chairman of the PTI, and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the party’s deputy chairman, were both charged by the FIA last month under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly misplacing and misusing secret documents for their own political gain.
