As Pakistan PM Imran Khan relied on the ‘secret letter’ to avert his ouster, the Islamabad High Court stopped him from revealing its content to the public.
As Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan relied on the ‘secret letter’ to avert his ouster, the Islamabad High Court stopped him from revealing the content to the public on Wednesday. Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court Athar Minallah in the order issued at the request of the citizens, has cited Section 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.
In the order, CJ Minallah has reminded Khan of the spirit of the oath of the office of the Prime Minister and underlined that any decision taken by Khan in the capacity has to be in “consonance with his obligation” under the Official Secrets Act.
Court stops Imran Khan from revealing details of ‘secret letter’
“The Court has trust and confidence that the worthy Prime Minister of Pakistan would not reveal any information which may be prejudicial to the national interest and national integrity of Pakistan nor that he would act in any manner that would have the effect of violating his oath,” the order read.
The order comes after Khan showed the contents of the “secret letter” he bandished at the PTI’s mega rally on Sunday, allegedly containing evidence of a foreign conspiracy against his government, to senior journalists and government allies. The Pakistan Prime Minister also said that he will share the letter with National Security Committee (NSC) Pakistan in an on-camera meeting and show it to Members of the National Assembly (MNA) before the no-trust vote.
The no-confidence motion and regime change were mentioned in the alleged letter, sources said. The sender of the letter whose name was not immediately disclosed expressed displeasure with Pakistan’s policies, including its foreign policy in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Imran Khan’s visit to Russia thereafter.
READ | Deserted by allies, Pak PM Imran Khan pins hopes on ‘secret letter’ alleging foreign plot
Citing the letter, the premier has asserted that he has the support of the people and has claimed a ‘foreign conspiracy’ in this, Pakistan media reported. “I will fight to the last ball, I will take them out of the ground,” the Prime Minister said as per sources quoted by Pakistani media. He added, “The people are with us. Attempts are being made to overthrow the elected government under a foreign conspiracy. Opposition remains a tool of foreign elements.”
Imran Khan is pinning his hopes on the secret letter as more and more allies desert PTI ahead of the no-confidence vote on Thursday. On Wednesday, just a day before the vote, Muttahida Qaumi Movement- Pakistan (MQM-P)and Baluchistan National Party (BNP) formally withdrew support from the government. This has reduced the seats of PTI to below the required number to win the no-confidence motion against Khan.
As per the latest count, in the 342-member Pakistan assembly, the Imran Khan-led PTI coalition has 165 MNAs while the united opposition has 177, with 172 needed to topple the government.