- Courtroom asks FIA to submit challan on September 26.
- Qureshi says he by no means betrayed his nation.
- Choose Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain conducts listening to.
ATTOCK: A particular court docket established underneath the Official Secrets and techniques Act prolonged Wednesday Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and celebration’s Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s judicial remand until September 26 within the cipher case.
Khan has been imprisoned in jail since his conviction within the Toshakhana case on August 5 for failing to correctly declare items he acquired whereas in workplace.
Whereas the Islamabad Excessive Courtroom (IHC) had overturned a decrease court docket’s resolution to jail him for 3 years with a Rs100,000 nice — a judgment that saved him from contesting upcoming elections, he stays behind bars on account of his arrest within the cipher case.
The Federal Investigation Company (FIA) formally arrested the previous prime minister and the previous international minister within the cipher case final month after reserving them underneath the Official Secrets and techniques Act.
Throughout the listening to as we speak, Choose Zulqarnain directed the FIA to submit a challan on September 26 within the cipher case, mentioned the sources.
Qureshi was taken into custody from his residence in Islamabad in the identical case on August 19 whereas Khan was arrested within the cipher case whereas he was serving the sentence in Attock jail.
“Consequent upon the conclusion of the enquiry No. 111/2023 dated 05.10.2022, registered within the CTW, FIA Islamabad, it transpired that former prime minister specifically Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi, former international minister specifically Shah Mahmood Qureshi and their different associates are concerned in communications of data contained within the secret labeled doc (Cipher Telegram acquired from Parep. Washington dated seventh March, 2022 to Secretary Ministry of International Affairs) to the unauthorised individual (i.e. public at giant) by twisting the information to attain their ulterior motives and private positive factors in a fashion prejudicial to the pursuits of state safety,” learn first info report (FIR) registered in opposition to the PTI leaders.
The Legislation Ministry had established the particular court docket underneath the Official Secrets and techniques Act to conduct the listening to on the cipher case and anti-terrorism court docket (ATC) Choose Zulqarnain was given an extra cost to listen to the matter.
A day earlier. the IHC reserved its verdict on Khan’s petition difficult the Legislation Ministry’s notification to carry his trial in Attock jail citing safety issues.
‘Imran Khan is irreplaceable’
Talking to the media individual exterior the court docket, Qureshi mentioned his celebration had by no means betrayed the nation and by no means will accomplish that sooner or later.
“I’m certain that I’ve by no means betrayed my nation and if I’ve been a traitor, then I needs to be hanged,” he added.
“I’ve at all times defended establishments as a international minister.”
Qureshi asserted that nobody can exchange Imran Khan as PTI chief, saying that there isn’t any ambiguity about it.
“There is just one celebration chairman and there’s no ambiguity surrounding this matter,” he remarked.
Qureshi additional maintained that Pakistan was affected by financial and constitutional disaster and demanded clear elections within the nation.
Denying his involvement within the Might 9 riots, the senior PTI chief mentioned he was taking good care of his ailing spouse on the time.
Talking in regards to the Adiala jail circumstances, Qureshi mentioned he was not allowed to stroll exterior like different prisoners.
Cable gate
The controversy first emerged on March 27, 2022, when Khan — simply days earlier than his ouster in April 2022 — brandished a letter, claiming that it was a cipher from a international nation, which talked about that his authorities needs to be faraway from energy.
He didn’t reveal the contents of the letter nor point out the title of the nation that had despatched it. However a couple of days later, he named the US and mentioned that Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs Donald Lu had sought his removing.
The cipher was about former Pakistan ambassador to the US Asad Majeed’s assembly with Lu.
The previous prime minister, claiming that he was studying contents from the cipher, mentioned that “all shall be forgiven for Pakistan if Imran Khan is faraway from energy”.
Then on March 31, the Nationwide Safety Committee (NSC) took up the matter and determined to concern a “sturdy demarche” to the nation for its “blatant interference within the inside affairs of Pakistan”.
Later, after his removing, then-prime minister Shehbaz Sharif convened a gathering of the NSC, which got here to the conclusion that it had discovered no proof of a international conspiracy within the cipher.
The cipher case in opposition to the previous premier turned critical after his principal secretary Azam Khan acknowledged earlier than a Justice of the Peace in addition to the Federal Investigation Company (FIA) that the previous PM had used the US cipher for his ‘political positive factors’ and to avert a vote of no-confidence in opposition to him.
The previous bureaucrat, in his confession, mentioned when he supplied the ex-premier with the cipher, he was “euphoric” and termed the language a “US blunder”. The previous prime minister, in line with Azam, then mentioned that the cable might be used for “making a narrative in opposition to institution and opposition”.
Azam mentioned the US cipher was utilized in political gatherings by the PTI chairman, regardless of his recommendation to him to keep away from such acts. He talked about that the previous prime minister additionally advised him that the cipher might be used to divert the general public’s consideration in direction of “international involvement” within the opposition’s no-confidence movement.