ISLAMABAD: Judge of the Special Court established under Official Secrets Act, Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain, on Thursday directed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi be presented before the court at the Federal Judicial Complex (FJC) here on November 28.
The cipher case pertains to a diplomatic paper that the Federal Investigation Agency’s charge sheet alleges was never returned by Imran as PM. However, the PTI has long held that the document contained a threat from the US to oust Imran as prime minister of the country.
Both Khan and Qureshi, who are behind bars, were indicted in the case on October 23. The trial was being held at Adiala Jail. However, an Islamabad High Court division bench termed the government’s notification for jail trial “erroneous” and scrapped the entire proceedings. The judge further stated that the trial would now begin from the position prior to August 29.
Cipher case
According to the first information report, the case was registered against Imran and Qureshi under sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, read with Section 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
They have been accused of wrongful communication/use of official secret information and illegal retention of the cipher telegram with mala fide intention. The FIR claimed that the said cipher telegram is still in the illegal possession/retention of Imran Khan.
