LARAKANA: Calling the issue a ‘national security breach’, PPP chairman and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said the cipher case against former prime minister Imran Khan was a very “serious issue” that merited an investigation.

On Friday, the Supreme Court had granted bail to Mr Khan and his ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the same case.

Asked about the development by reporters after the submission of his nomination papers in Larkana on Sunday, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said it was obvious that Mr Khan was getting ‘relief’ in the case, Dawn.com reported.

“The cipher case is a very serious case. I cannot be in favour of political retribution against a politician because our party and family have suffered and we would not want the same for our opponents. But the cipher case is a very serious issue,” he reiterated.

PPP chairman says his party doesn’t believe in political vendettas; coins a new slogan for Nawaz

Giving the example of ex-president Trump, who has been indicted over his handling of classified documents after leaving office, the PPP chairman said that the US government had to raid Trump’s home to retrieve the documents.

“Pakistan’s classified documents are the property of the state. We face a national security threat if these documents are somehow leaked. So there should be a full investigation on the cipher and the reality should be before the public and the nation since this was a major national security breach,” he said.

The PPP chairman said that based on his experience as a foreign minister, every cipher had only limited copies — one for the foreign minister, one for the prime minister and sometimes one for security agencies if required.

All the copies in the cipher case had been accounted for except for the prime minister’s copy, he said.

“Khan sahib has admitted on television that he misplaced it and the day of his arrest, that cipher was leaked to the [international] media. This is a very serious issue and the court should take it as seriously as any other issue on which questions of national security are raised,” he said.

Mr Bhutto-Zardari demanded that the government pursue a thorough investigation into the matter and a judicial inquiry should also be ordered.

Political vendetta

Flanked by PPP’s Sindh chapter President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro and PPP’s Larkana district President Khursheed Junejo, the PPP chairman said his party would contest the February 8 general elections on the basis of its own strength and had not formed an electoral alliance with any other party so far.

However, he did say there was “ample scope” for the PPP to work together with political workers since “we are the only political party that believes in democracy and not political vendettas.”

Mr Bhutto-Zardari said he had filed his nomination papers not only from Larkana and Qambar Shahdadkot, but also from Lahore.

Mujhe kyun bulaya

Responding to a question about the formation of anti-PPP alliances, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said all such forces should collectively contest against the PPP instead of fighting as scattered alliances.

He said Nawaz Sharif’s narrative after the general elections might be ‘mujhy kyun bulaya’ (why was I called back) instead of the old slogan ‘mujhy kyun nikala’ (why was I ousted).

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2023