Particular court docket remands Shah Mahmood Qureshi in FIA custody for 4 days



SLAMABAD: A Particular Courtroom arrange underneath the Official Secrets and techniques Act Monday authorized a four-day bodily remand of PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi within the cipher case.

Decide Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain positioned Qureshi within the custody of Federal Investigation Company (FIA) underneath Sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets and techniques Act, 1923.

The prosecutor sought a 13-day bodily remand of the PTI chief which was opposed by his counsel Shoaib Shaheen.

Qureshi was arrested on Saturday from his residence in Islamabad and brought to the FIA headquarters.

In response to a duplicate of the FIR, on the conclusion of an enquiry upon a criticism registered by the Counter Terrorism Wing (CTW) of the FIA, it transpired that Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and their different associates have been concerned within the communication of data contained in a secret labeled doc to the unauthorised individuals by twisting information to attain their “ulterior motives” and private features in a fashion prejudicial to the pursuits of state safety.

The FIR says the accused held a clandestine assembly at Banigala on March 28, 2022 to conspire to misuse the contents of the cipher as a way to accomplish their “nefarious designs”.

The accused, Imran Khan, mala fidely directed the then principal secretary to the prime minister Muhammad Azam Khan to organize the minutes (file be aware) of the mentioned clandestine assembly by manipulating the contents of the cipher message to make use of it for his vested curiosity at the price of nationwide security

It additional says the mentioned cipher telegram remains to be within the unlawful possession/retention of the accused, Imran Khan.

The unauthorised retention and misuse of the cypher telegram by the accused individuals compromised all the cypher safety system of the state and secret communication technique of the Pakistani missions overseas.

On March 27, 2022, Imran Khan, the then-prime minister, claimed that there was a overseas conspiracy afoot to overthrow his authorities.

Throughout his D-Chowk tackle, Imran didn't point out the US or the nations concerned. “I seldom write my speeches however I wrote this speech right now in order that I don’t get emotional and say something which might have an effect on our overseas coverage,” he had mentioned.

Whereas taking out a bit of paper from the pocket of his black waistcoat, claiming it proof, Imran had additionally mentioned, “We received to learn about it [foreign conspiracy] a number of months again…if anybody has any doubt, I can present the letter to him however it will be off the file,” the PM mentioned.

“We all know from the place makes an attempt are being made to stress us…we’ve been threatened in writing however we is not going to compromise on nationwide curiosity it doesn't matter what,” he declared.

In the meantime, the authorities have opened a legal investigation in opposition to former prime minister Imran Khan on the fees of leaking state secrets and techniques, after naming him and his three aides in a recent case.

The matter, at present underneath investigation, pertains to a labeled cable despatched to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington early final 12 months, which Khan is alleged to have made public.

Imran has accused that the cable was a part of a US conspiracy to oust him in a vote of no-confidence in 2022 for visiting Moscow forward of Russia’s assault on Ukraine.

Khan is at present serving a three-year sentence in a graft case and has been barred from politics for 5 years. “Our investigation is gathering proof to face a case in a court docket to indict Imran Khan on the fees of leaking official secrets and techniques,” reported a world wire company on Monday quoting a prime safety supply.

The PTI info secretary Rauf Hasan provided no remark. His shut aide Zulfi Bukhari, nevertheless, mentioned such a cost in opposition to Khan could be unconstitutional after the regulation grew to become controversial with an assertion by President Arif Alvi that he by no means signed latest amendments to the laws, which was necessary.

Khan has formally been arrested in reference to the fees, which the Federal Investigation Company (FIA) is probing, the supply mentioned.

One of many three aides named within the case, former overseas minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, was arrested on Saturday and despatched to the FIA’s custody by a court docket on Monda for 4 days, his lawyer Intazar Panjutha mentioned.

A replica of the FIA case mentioned Khan and his aides disclosed the labeled paperwork to unauthorised individuals and have been “twisting the information to attain their ulterior motives and private features”.

Beneath Pakistan’s Official Secrets and techniques Act, the sentence can vary from two to 14 years in jail and even dying, attorneys say.

Khan used the key doc for his “vested curiosity at the price of nationwide safety,” the case says, including that the previous premier additionally retained illegally a duplicate of the labeled cable.