Newly-established Special Court remands Qureshi into FIA custody for four days

In its first ruling, a Special Court established under the Official Secrets Act on Monday handed over former foreign minister and PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi to the FIA for a four-day physical remand, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Special Court Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain announced the reserved judgement.

Earlier, the court reserved its judgement after hearing arguments from the lawyers of both the parties.

The FIA presented Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the Special Court established under the Official Secrets Act.

The court held an in-camera proceeding. All irrelevant persons were taken out of the courtroom.

The FIA lawyer requested the court to grant physical remand of the PTI leader.

Last week, PTI Vice Chairman Qureshi and Chairman Imran Khan were booked under sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act by the FIA in the missing cipher case.

The FIA lawyer told the court that the investigation agency was seeking extension in Qureshi’s physical remand for the recovery of missing documents related to the cipher telegram.

When FIA lawyer completed his arguments, Qureshi’s lawyer Shoaib Shaheen started presenting his arguments.

He opposed the FIA demand for the PTI vice chairman’s physical remand.

After hearing arguments, the court reserved its verdict.

Yesterday, a magistrate court in Islamabad granted to the police one-day physical remand of former foreign minister in the cipher case.

Duty Magistrate Ihtesham Alam also ordered the police to produce Qureshi on Monday (today).

Qureshi was picked up from his Islamabad residence shortly after addressing a press conference on Saturday night.

Qureshi was nabbed in connection with a diplomatic cipher which was at the heart of PTI’s claim about a US conspiracy to remove Imran Khan from power.

The PTI chief made the claim about cipher and conspiracy in March 2022, but later retracted it partially, saying it was former COAS and not the USA that had hatched the conspiracy.

Earlier this month, when the contents of the cipher were published by The Intercept, the government booked Imran Khan under the Official Secrets Act for leaking the cipher.

The FIR registered by the FIA accused Imran, Qureshi and their associates of sharing the information contained in the cipher “by twisting the facts to achieve their ulterior motives and personal gains in a manner prejudicial to the interests of state security”.

“They held a clandestine meeting at [Imran’s] Bani Gala [residence] on March 28, 2022 to conspire to misuse the contents of the cipher in order to accomplish their nefarious designs.”

The FIR further alleged that the numbered and accountable copy of the cipher sent to the PM’s Office was “deliberately” kept by then-premier Imran with “mala fide intention” and was never returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The said cipher (an official secret document classified as such) is still in the illegal possession/ retention of the accused Imran Khan. The unauthorised retention and misuse of the cipher telegram by the accused persons compromised the entire cipher security system of the state and secret communication method of Pakistani missions abroad,” the FIR said.

Special court set up

A special court was established in Islamabad under the Official Secrets Act. The additional charge of the Official Secrets Act Court has been handed over to an anti-terrorism court (ATC) judge.

ATC judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain will hear the cases filed under the Official Secrets Act.

According to the law, in-camera hearings will be held of the cases registered under the Official Secrets Act.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi will be produced today in a case registered under the Official Secrets Act.

Official Secret Act Court Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain will conduct the hearing.

 

Reporter: Farzana Siddiqui