The Special Court Summons Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Cipher Case
ISLAMABAD: A special court established under the Official Secrets Act has summoned jailed Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi on October 4 in the cipher case.
Challan Submitted in Cipher Case against PTI Leaders
The development came two days after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) submitted the challan (charge sheet) in the cipher case against the PTI leaders.
Statements of Witnesses Sufficient to Summon Accused
Special court judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain issued notices to respondents saying that statements of witnesses are sufficient to summon the accused in the court.
PTI Leaders to be Presented in Court on October 4
The judge directed the superintendent of Adiala jail to present the PTI leaders before the court on October 4 (Wednesday).
Former PM and Foreign Minister Found Guilty
The FIA, in its challan, stated that the former prime minister and the former foreign minister were found guilty in the matter and requested the court to conduct their trial and sentence them in the case.
Former PTI Secretary-General Not Accused
According to sources, former PTI secretary-general Asad Umar’s name was not added to the list of accused. Meanwhile, Imran Khan’s former principal secretary Azam Khan was named as a “strong witness” in the case.
Cipher Misuse and Failure to Return
The FIA also attached Azam’s statements, recorded under Sections 161 and 164, along with the challan, said the sources, adding that the PTI chief kept the cipher to himself and misused the state secret. The sources also said that Khan had a copy of the cipher but he did not return it.
Transcript of Speech and List of Witnesses Submitted
Moreover, the FIA also attached the transcript of Khan and Qureshi’s speech on March 27 — the day when the former premier brandished a letter claiming it was a cipher from a foreign nation, which wanted his government to be removed from power.
The agency also submitted a list of 28 witnesses to the court with the challan after recording their statements under Section 161.
Former Foreign Secretaries Added to Witness List
Sources further revealed that the names of former foreign secretaries Asad Majeed, Sohail Mehmood and the then additional foreign secretary Faisal Niaz Tirmizi have also been added to the list of witnesses.
Judicial Remand Extended for Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi
On September 26, the special court extended the judicial remand of the PTI chairman and vice-chairman till October 10 in the Cypher case.
The Controversy and Accusations
The controversy first emerged on March 27, 2022, when Khan — less than a month before his ouster in April 2022 — while addressing a public rally waved a letter before the crowd, claiming that it was a cypher from a foreign nation that had conspired with his political rivals to have PTI government overthrown.
He did not reveal the contents of the letter nor did he mention the name of the nation it came from. But a few days later, he accused the United States of conspiring against him and alleged that Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs Donald Lu had sought his removal.
