ISLAMABAD: A special court, on Monday, extended the physical remand of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi for the third time for another two days, in the cipher case registered against him and PTI Chairman Imran Khan under Sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) produced Qureshi before special court judge Abu Al-Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain after the expiry of his previous three-day physical remand. Qureshi’s lawyers Shoaib Shaheen and Babar Awan and FIA prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi appeared before the court. The judge was conducting an in-camera hearing of the case in the special court, which was recently-established under the Official Secrets Act.
At the start of the hearing, prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi requested the court to extend the physical remand of Qureshi for another five days for further investigation and to recover his mobile phone.
Qureshi’s lawyer, while objecting to the prosecution’s plea seeking extension in physical remand, said that his client has nothing to do with the cipher case. Qureshi has nothing to do with this case under articles 90 and 91 of the Official Secrets Act, he said.
Awan read out articles 90 and 91 of the Official Secrets Act before the court and said that his client has been on physical remand for nine days. The court has already granted the agency enough remand of his client; therefore, the request of FIA regarding the extension of physical remand of Qureshi be rejected, he said.
The court, after hearing arguments, reserved its verdict for some time. Later, while announcing its verdict extended the physical remand of Qureshi for two days.
According to the copy of the FIR registered on August 15, consequent upon the conclusion of inquiry No 111/2023 upon the complaint registered in the Counter Terrorism Wing (CTW), FIA, it transpired that former prime minister namely, Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi, former foreign minister namely, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and their other associates are involved in the communication of information contained in the secret classified document (cypher telegram received from Parep Washington dated March 7, 2022, to secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to the unauthorised persons (i.e., public at large) by twisting the facts to achieve their “ulterior motives” and personal gains in a manner prejudicial to the interests of state security.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023