After his indictment in the cipher case and rejection of his bail pleas, former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday claimed that there would be “another attempt” on his life in prison, probably through “slow poisoning” as he refuses to leave the country.

“Since I will never agree to leave the country, there is a strong possibility that they will make another attempt on my life in prison. This attempt may also be in the form of slow poisoning,” said the 71-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman in a statement on social media platform X.

Imran claimed that although he is “physically fit”, there have been two attempts to kill him “in broad daylight”. This allegation came after his lawyers repeatedly complained of inhumane treatment against the former premier in Attock and Adiala jails.

The PTI chief, along with his deputy Shah Mahmood Qureshi, was indicted by a special court established under the Official Secrets Act on October 23. On Friday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) rejected his pleas seeking bail and cancellation of the FIR against him and Qureshi.

Imran further claimed that the cases against him are “totally bogus, concocted and framed for purely political purposes” in order to keep him imprisoned after the upcoming general elections or much longer beyond the polls.

He also remarked that Pakistan has witnessed a complete mockery of the law in the past few days and slammed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and former PM Nawaz Sharif, alleging that a convicted criminal is being provided amnesty.

“What is unfolding in front of our eyes is not an execution of a London plan but the result of a “London deal” struck between a cowardly fugitive and a corrupt criminal and his facilitators. There is no other way for a criminal convicted by the courts to return to politics with a clean chit, except to destroy the state institutions. So what we are witnessing is the complete collapse of our justice system,” he said.

“Our struggle is entering its decisive phase. You will have to fight for your rights and the freedom of your country by yourself. I have sent instructions to my lawyers and organizational leaders to hold conventions across the country and to campaign vigorously whenever the opportunity for elections comes,” Imran continued.

Cipher case against Imran Khan

Khan and Qureshi were indicted by a special court established under the Official Secrets Act hearing the case in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where Imran is currently imprisoned. The case pertains to when Imran alleged that the US orchestrated a plan to remove him from office and brandished a cipher at a public rally to back his claims. The US has time and again denied such allegations, terming them “categorically false”.

According to Khan’s then-principal secretary Azam Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief was allegedly “euphoric” after seeing the cipher and decided to use it to build an “anti-establishment narrative” on the back of a “blunder” committed by the US. The cipher mysteriously ‘went missing’ from Khan’s possession.

On September 30, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) submitted a chargesheet to the court declaring the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and vice-president ‘guilty’ in the alleged disclosure of state secrets.

Imran and Qureshi have both denied the charges against them. Notably, Imran has been incarcerated since August 5, after an Islamabad court sentenced him to three years in prison in the Toshakhana case. His Toshakhana sentence was later suspended by the IHC but he was arrested in the cipher case.

Nawaz Sharif’s return

Meanwhile, Nawaz returned to Pakistan after four years of self-imposed exile in London. After his arrival, the interim Punjab government on Tuesday ‘suspended’ sentence awarded to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in Al-Azizia reference. 

Before his departure, the accountability court had awarded a 10-year jail term to Nawaz in the Avenfield case and a seven-year sentence in Al-Azizia reference. Besides, the court had also disqualified him from holding public office for the next ten years. 

The IHC also restored his appeals against accountability courts’ conviction verdicts in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) informed the bench that it has no objections to the revival of Nawaz’s pleas, Geo News reported.

Meanwhile, the Islamabad accountability court granted him bail in the Toshakhana corruption case. The hearing of the case was adjourned till November 20.

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