Pakistani court ‘confident’ PM Khan won’t publicize confidential information

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan attends a military parade to mark Pakistan National Day, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on March 23, 2022. (AP/File)

• The prime minister recently waved a secret letter proving a ‘foreign conspiracy’ against his administration at a public rally
• The government believes there is a nexus between the international conspiracy and no-trust motion, will take parliament in confidence

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Wednesday expressed “confidence” Prime Minister Imran Khan would not publicize secret documents after he waved a letter at a recent public rally while saying that it proved a “foreign-funded conspiracy” against his government without revealing further details to protect Pakistan’s national interests.
The letter, which he said carried a written warning to his government and proved a nexus between the international conspiracy and the no-confidence resolution, has been widely debated since then.
The opposition has asked the prime minister to bring the document to an in-camera parliamentary proceeding for discussion, adding that Pakistan should also sever its diplomatic ties with the country that wrote it and expel its ambassador.
The Islamabad High Court made the observation in a written order after hearing a petition filed by a citizen.
“The worthy Prime Minister is an elected leader of the treasury benches,” it said. “The Court is confident that as an elected Prime Minister he would not disclose any information or act in breach of section 5 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923 nor the oath taken by him under the Constitution. Any decision taken by the worthy Prime Minister has to be in consonance with his obligations under the Official Secrets Act, 1923 and in letter and spirit of the oath of the office.”
It added the court had full trust the prime minister would not reveal any information which “may be prejudicial to the national interest and national integrity of Pakistan.”
The court said “the petition stands disposed-of in the above terms because passing a restraining order would unjustifiably reflect lack of confidence in an elected Prime Minister.”
Pakistan’s planning minister Asad Umar said on Tuesday the prime minister was willing to share the content of the letter with the chief justice of Pakistan.
According to Geo News, Khan shared some of the contents of the letter with senior journalists on Wednesday.
It informed that the letter was written by a Pakistani ambassador, though the government maintained it could not reveal the name of the country where the envoy was based.
Khan also told journalists that the letter would be shared with Pakistani lawmaker in an in-camera parliamentary briefing, said Geo News.