LARKANA - Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that former prime minister Imran Khan appears to be getting relief ahead of February 8 elections, saying that the cipher case was a very serious matter and demanded a thorough investigation by judiciary.
The cipher case pertains to a piece of paper that Imran had waved at a public rally on March 27, 2022, ahead of a vote of confidence that he lost last year. The former prime minister, later naming the US, had claimed that the cipher was the evidence of an international conspiracy to topple his government.
While speaking to the media in Larkana, Bilawal remarks came two days after the Supreme Court granted bail to Imran and PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case.
“Imran seems to be getting relief. PPP does not believe in political vendettas and does not wish to engage in such practices with its opponents. However, the cipher incident is a matter of grave concern and should be thoroughly investigated. It poses a significant breach of national security,” the PPP chairman said. Bhutto asserted that there is no record of the cipher given to Imran who himself had admitted that it was misplaced. However, he added that it became a subject of global media attention on the day when the PTI founder was arrested.
In response to a question about the electoral alliance, Bilawal stated that objections can be raised against any leader, but any political worker of any party, including PTI, should have the freedom to engage in politics.
The former foreign minister quipped, “Nawaz Sharif’s initial slogan was, “Why was I ousted?” In this election, his slogan will be, ‘Why was I invited?’”
