The cipher case
Vice chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), was given to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on a four-day physical remand in the cipher case by a special court that was established on Monday to hear cases brought under the Official Secrets Act.
In the First Information Report (FIR) filed against him in accordance with the Official Secrets Act, Mr. Qureshi is mentioned.
The Anti-Terrorism Court’s Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain has already been appointed by the federal government to preside over the trial under the Official Secrets Act.
Under heavy guard, Mr. Qureshi was brought before Judge Zulqaarnain. The proceedings were declared to be private by the court. Mr. Qureshi was represented by attorney Shoaib Shaheen.
FIA custody for Shah Mehmood Qureshi on remand
In order to find the missing cipher and related documents, the FIA prosecutor asked for custody of Mr. Qureshi.
The judge ordered the prosecution to turn over Mr. Qureshi on August 25 and remanded him in detention for four days.
Imran Khan, a former prime minister, and Mr. Qureshi have a case filed against them under Sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrecy Act of 1923, as read with Section 34 the FIR.
While the roles of former SPM Muhammad Azam Khan, former federal minister Asad Umer, and other involved associates will be determined during the investigations, they have been accused of improper communication/use of official secret information and illegal retention of a cipher telegram (an official secret document).
It claimed that former PM Khan, FM Qureshi, and their other associates were involved in disseminating information contained in a secret classified document—a cipher telegram sent on March 7, 2022, from Parep Washington to the Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs—to the unauthorised (i.e., general public) by distorting the truth in order to further their own ulterior motives and personal interests at the expense of national security.
On March 28, 2022, they met in secret in Banigala to plan how they would abuse the cipher’s information to further their evil goals.
The accused, Mr. Khan, manipulated the information in the cipher message to serve his own interests at the expense of the safety of the nation while directing the former principal secretary, Azam Khan, with malice to create the minutes of the clandestine meeting.
Furthermore, the former PM kept the numbered and accountable copy of the cipher telegraph transmitted to the PM Office on purpose and with malicious intent; it was never given back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to the FIR, the accused Mr. Khan is still holding the aforementioned cipher telegram—a confidential official secret—illegally.
