Imran Khan and Qureshi indicted in cipher case

Former prime minister and PTI ex-chairman Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi have been indicted by the special court in the cipher case on Wednesday, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Special court judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain pronounced the indictment that framed charges against the PTI leaders during proceedings at Adiala Jail in the presence of Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

The two leaders were indicted by the special court established under the Official Secrets Act 2023.

Both politicians pleaded not guilty to their involvement in the offence related to the alleged misuse of diplomatic cable for political purposes.

Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) special prosecutor Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi, and Imran and Qureshi’s lawyers appeared in the court.

Besides that wife and sisters of former PTI chairman as well as family members of former foreign minister were also present in the courtroom.

The accused violated the Official Secrets Act as the prime minister and foreign minister, the indictment said, adding they waved the classified document at a public rally on March 27, 2022. They deliberately used the cipher for personal gains, it added.

The move damaged national identity, security, and foreign affairs, the charges stated. “As prime minister, you had the cipher, which was not sent back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” one of the charges implied.

This marks the second instance of their indictment. The initial indictment took place on 23 October, but the process was invalidated by the Islamabad High Court.

Judge Zulqernain, during a 4 December hearing, emphasised the necessity for a fresh indictment following the Islamabad High Court’s ruling, which deemed all previous proceedings illegal due to procedural issues related to the jail trial.

Imran tells judge he exposed national, foreign ‘elements’

Upon hearing the indictment, Shah Mahmood Qureshi denied the charges outright.

Imran Khan, meanwhile, had a dialogue with Judge Zulqarnain. He claimed he had exposed the national and foreign establishments, and that this “cruelty” should also be included as his crime.

He said on one hand their government was overthrown, and on the other, they were also accused of the crime. “How is it possible that someone whose government has been overthrown is also the accused?” Imran Khan questioned. 

The court warned the former prime minister, saying he should not say incorrect things and that his tone was not appropriate. The court silenced Imran Khan for speaking repeatedly despite being stopped.

Qureshi files application in Supreme Court

Also on Wednesday, Qureshi filed a miscellaneous application in the Supreme Court (SC), praying to the court to fix his bail plea in the cipher case for the hearing in the week starting from December 18.

He further stated in the petition that since several PTI leaders, including the ex-party chairman, were presently languishing in jails in connection with political cases; therefore, keeping in view gravity of the situation, the court was requested to order an early start to the hearing of his plea.

The court adjourned the case’s hearing until tomorrow.

On December 4, a special court had ordered the indictment of former prime minister Imran Khan and ex-foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the US cipher case on December 12.

During the hearing of the case inside the Adiala Jail, Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain rejected all the objections raised by the defence lawyers and distributed copies of the challan [charge-sheet] among the suspects persons and adjourned further proceedings until December 12.

The case was based on Imran's public display of a paper during a rally in Islamabad on March 27, 2022, in which he had claimed it as an evidence of an "international conspiracy" before a vote of no-confidence led to his government's ouster in April, 2022.

Reporters: Farzana Siddique and Amanat Gishkori