Former Pakistan ambassador to the United States Asad Majeed informed the court on Tuesday that there was no mention of the words “conspiracy” or “threat” in the secret cypher telegram.
Majeed recorded his statement during the hearing of the cypher case against former prime minister Imran Khan.
The proceedings were held in Adiala Jail, where the former diplomat said he had suggested that a demarche should be issued to the US both in Islamabad and Washington.
The cypher case pertains to a diplomatic document that reportedly went missing from Khan’s possession. The PTI alleges that the document contained a threat from the United States to oust Imran from office because of his stance on Russia.
Majeed was the ambassador to the US when the cipher controversy started and the PTI made allegations against America.
He said that he invited Assistant Secretary for South & Central Asian Affairs under US States Department Donald Lu on March 7, 2022, for a luncheon.
It was a preplanned lunch hosted by himself in the Pakistan House in Washington for the US team dealing with Pakistan, which was scheduled, at about 1230hrs, it said.
Last year, Majeed became another witness in the cypher case against PTI chief Imran Khan, citing that the latter’s affairs about the diplomatic cable affected Pakistan’s image.
“The PTI chairman’s cypher affair damaged Pakistan’s communication system,” he said in his statement recorded before the court. “It has also affected the credibility of our diplomats and their future diplomacy.”
On December 22, the Supreme Court approved the bail petitions of former prime minister Imran Khan and ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cypher case.
A three-member SC bench led by acting Chief Justice of Pakistan Sardar Tariq Masood heard the case. Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Mansoor Ali Shah were the other two members of the bench.
The bench later issued a nine-page order adding that the SC decision would not influence the trial court and that the bail could be cancelled by the trial court if it so wished.
Last week, former premier Imran Khan’s then-principal secretary Azam Khan testified before the special court hearing the cypher case against Khan and others that he had handed over the copy of cypher to the former premier but upon asking him [Khan] to return it, he told me that he has misplaced it.
Special Court Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain while hearing the case at Adiala jail recorded the testimony of Azam Khan. At the start of the hearing, Imran Khan came to the rostrum and requested the court to record the statement of the witness under oath on the Holy Quran.
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