The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has decided to postpone the hearing on appeals against the sentence of PTI founder Shah Mehmood Qureshi in a cipher case until after Eidul Fitr. The decision was made by a division bench led by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, who listened to the appeals of two accused individuals.

During the proceedings, it was revealed that eight copies of the decoded cipher were prepared and distributed to various individuals. The former principal secretary claimed that one copy was given to the then prime minister but unfortunately got lost. The court clarified that the accused could only receive one sentence under sections 5(1)c or 5(1)d of the Officials Secrets Act. It was also acknowledged that a copy of the cipher was received by Azam Khan.

Chief Justice Aamer Farooq emphasized that even if the charges were proven, a sentence of more than one year could not be given in this case. Defense lawyer Salman Safdar offered to assist the bench on these sections, pointing out that his client was sentenced under both sections. He highlighted that ciphers are typically returned within a year, but the prosecution filed the case against the PTI founder after seven months.

Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb requested the lawyer to provide a reference regarding the return period of the cipher. The court noted that Azam Khan was the only witness to the handover of the cipher to the PTI founder.

During the hearing, Salman Safdar Advocate requested the court to postpone the case until after Eid. The court granted the request and scheduled the next hearing for April 16.