Islamabad: A special court in Islamabad, recently established to hear cases filed under the Official Sec¬rets Act, extended the physical remand of PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi for another three days in the cipher case.
Qureshi was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) last week in connection with a first information report (FIR) registered on Aug 15 under the Official Secrets Act against former prime minister Imran Khan and the former foreign minister.
The FIR alleged that Imran, Qureshi and their other associates were involved in the communication of information contained in a secret classified document (cipher telegram received from Parep Washington dated March 7, 2022 to Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to unauthorised persons by “twisting facts to achieve their ulterior motives and personal gains in a manner prejudicial to the interests of state security”.
The case was registered after an American news outlet The Intercept rece-ntly published what was clai¬med to be the contents diplomatic cable which had reportedly gone missing from Imran’s possession.
Imran, who was interrogated by the FIA, in Attock jail where he is incarcerated after his conviction in the Toshakhana case, has persistently claimed he was ousted from office last year under a “US conspiracy”. –Agencies
