The word ‘Cypher’ has become a political buzzword in Pakistan. After assertions by former prime minister Imran Khan about a plot to depose him, the phrase conjures up ideas of covert diplomatic and intelligence interactions. It has now seeped into the South Asian nation’s everyday news parlance. His repeated references to a ‘cypher’ have caused a problem that won’t go away despite the fact that he was really removed from office.
The most recent event is that on Sunday, a former diplomat questioned the federal cabinet’s choice to reconsider the cypher’s specifics in a cabinet report. Following recent audio disclosures of various political figures, including Khan, the ‘cypher scandal’ intensified.
In an interview with The Express Tribune, the diplomat stated: ‘It gives the idea that the entire cabinet has read it, in violation of the secrets laws, by exposing the date and number and saying that it was appended with the summary. A breach of the official secret act is even the citation of the date and cypher No ‘,said the former ambassador.
So, what is a cypher?
A cypher is, to put it simply, a coded diplomatic communication that has been given a specific number and date and is written in a secret, restricted language. A cypher is graded based on how hard it is to crack and how deeply encrypted it is. Grades I and II are available for circulation. In comparison to the second grade, the first grade has less circulation. Except when requested by a respectable person, cypher details are automatically created according to the distribution list.
Making copies is prohibited by law, and the original copy is held at the Foreign Office. Last recently, the present administration accused Imran Khan of breaking his oath of office by giving misleading information about a diplomatic cypher for his political benefit, reigniting the debate over cyphers. The previous prime minister started this scandal by claiming that a US official had threatened a Pakistani diplomat, who had been told of the incident through a cypher.
Two audio recordings of Imran Khan purportedly discussing how to highlight the cypher issue with his secretary and cabinet ministers went viral on social media last week. After the initial audio leak, Khan declared that the second audio release was beneficial and wished for the others to follow suit. The Shehbaz Sharif administration reported on Friday that the PM’s home was missing a copy of the cypher.
The former diplomat claimed that the prime mover, who neither keeps the cypher nor does the filing, cannot be held accountable for it. The senior secretary’s office, where several others keep a watch on covert communication, is where the cypher is kept. An accomplished lawyer responded that it cannot be specifically stated what will happen if the cypher disappears. Leaked audio and video calls in Pakistan have worried the ruling government, but there has never been a comprehensive investigation to confirm or refute the claims. Will this occur again?
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