PTI founder, Qureshi indicted in cipher case again

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan and PTI vice-chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi were indicted by a special court in cipher case again, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain of the special court heard the case against Imran and Qureshi. This was the second time that the PTI leaders were indicted.

During the hearing, both PTI leaders pleaded not guilty and said the indictment was ‘fabricated’. They also stated that the indictment was ‘illegal’ and they would challenge it in a court of law.

Prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi informed the court that the statements of the witnesses will be recorded on Thursday.

The court then issued a notice to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and adjourned the hearing till tomorrow (December 14).

Cipher case

The first information report (FIR) was registered on August 15 under the Official Secrets Act. It was registered on the complaint of the Home Secretary.

Former prime minister Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi were nominated in the report, while names of former principal secretary Azam Khan and former planning minister Asad Umar were also mentioned.

The FIR stated that the former prime minister and foreign minister distorted the facts of the diplomatic cipher. “A conspiracy was launched to misuse the contents of the cipher to fulfill nefarious purposes”, it added. It further stated that the former premier and top diplomat endangered the state interests.