The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday withdrew stay order halting cypher probe against the former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief. The former prime minister had claimed that US envoy Donald Lu was ‘involved’ in the ouster of his government. In a meeting with the Pakistani envoy, Lu ‘threatened’ to oust my government, the PTI chairman had claimed. The federal gov­ernment had challenged a stay order granted to the PTI chairman against an inquiry by the FIA into the cipher audio leak controversy. The single bench comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi while announcing the reserved verdict withdrew the stay order halting cypher probe against the former prime minister. The federal government, through the application, had pleaded with the court to withdraw the stay order. It submitted that the Federal Investigation Agency was probing the matter in accordance with the law but due to stay order, the process of investigation was badly affected. On Dec 6, 2022, LHC suspended a call-up notice issued to Imran Khan by the FIA in cipher inquiry.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP