ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) counter-terrorism wing (CTW) on Saturday interrogated incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan for over an hour Attock Jail in “missing” cypher case under the Official Secrets Act.
The FIA team questioned the PTI chief for over an hour regarding revelations made by former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. They also inquired about the whereabouts of the missing cypher copy.
According sources privy to the development, the FIA team arrived at Attock prison around 2:15pm and continued investigation from Imran Khan until approximately 3:30pm. Later, the team returned to Islamabad.
The FIA’s CTW had filed an FIR against the PTI chairman and the vice chairman, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, on August 15 under the Official Secrets Act and other relevant laws.
The FIA is also assessing the roles of former principal secretary Azam Khan and PTI leader and former finance minister Asad Umar in the matter.
Last week, the FIA arrested Qureshi in the cypher leak case under the Official Secrets Act from his residence in the federal capital.
Imran, who was ousted from power through a no-confidence vote in parliament in April last year, is currently serving a three-year sentence in Attock Jail after being convicted in the Toshakhana (gift repository) case.
On March 27, 2022, ahead of a vote of no-trust that resulted in his ouster, the PTI chief had pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and waved it at the crowd attending a massive public meeting in Islamabad, claiming it was evidence of an “international conspiracy” being hatched to topple his government.
Last month, Qureshi and senior PTI leader Asad Umar appeared before FIA-led joint investigation team (JIT) that is probing an alleged manipulation of a classified diplomatic cypher during the PTI rule.
The JIT is carrying out an investigation on the direction of the former cabinet which alleges that former prime minister Imran Khan, his associates including Qureshi and his former principal secretary prejudiced the national security and interest of the state by directly revealing classified information—a diplomatic cypher—without proper authorisation.
Qureshi moves IHC against physical remand
Meanwhile, PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday moved the Islamabad High Court against his physical remand granted by a special court to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in cypher case against him and incarcerated PTI chairman Imran Khan.
In his petition, Shah Mahmood Qureshi pleaded with the high court to declare the trial court’s decisions announced on August 20, 21 and 25 as void, requesting the court to send him on judicial remand by annulling physical remand decision.
“With malicious intent and connivance of the federal government, the case has been against me. I didn’t receive the cypher telegram, neither shared its transcript with any person,” he pleaded. “The record proves that the cypher has been in possession of the foreign ministry,” he petitioned.
