ISLAMABAD: Vice Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Shah Mahmood Qureshi who set to be released from Adiala Jail on Tuesday was detained for a period of 15 days in the jail under 3-MPO.
The Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner issued directives for the detention, stating Qureshi’s release may “pose a threat to peace and security.”
It mentioned that the CPO had proposed a 45-day detention period on the recommendation of the relevant station house officer (SHO). The district intelligence committee also concurred with the assessments of the police and security authorities.
While granting Qureshi the right to appeal, the order detained Qureshi in the Adiala Jail for 15 days.
The development comes days after the Supreme Court granted bail to former prime minister Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cypher case.
However, both leaders were not released immediately due to their involvement in other ongoing cases.
The cypher case pertains to a piece of paper that Imran had waved at a public rally on March 27, 2022, ahead of a vote of confidence that he lost. The former prime minister, later naming the US, had claimed that the cypher was ‘evidence’ of an “international conspiracy” to topple his government.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi was serving as the foreign minister at that time and was indicted in the case on October 23.
‘Expected released from Adiala jail’
Earlier in the day, Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s legal team, led by Barrister Tamoor Malik, arrived at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi with the required bail bonds, coinciding with the presence of Special Court Judge Abul Hassanat Zulqarnain.
Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, lawyer Amir Niazi, and Rai Muhammad Ali also made their way to Adiala Jail. The apex court’s bail decision, spanning four pages, with Justice Athar Minallah contributing a separate five-page note in concurrence, ensured that the ongoing trial would remain unaffected.
The decision emphasized that if the PTI founder misused bail, the trial court retained the authority to revoke it. The PTI leaders claim that there is no substantial evidence supporting the offense under Section 5(3) of the Official Secrets Act. The top court ruled that additional inquiry is warranted regarding the alleged violation of the Official Secrets Act, with the trial court empowered to make decisions post-evaluation of evidence.
Mehra Bano, Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s daughter, stepped forward to provide bail for her father in the cipher case.
Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court, she affirmed that her father, who endured four months in custody in a politically charged case, intended not only to contest upcoming elections but also to lead the electoral campaign for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Mehra Bano emphasized that securing bail for her father marks a victory for Pakistan, asserting that today’s developments underscore the absence of a substantive foundation for the Cipher case.
