Former Pak PM Imran Khan, Ex-Foreign Minister indicted under Official Secrets Act in cipher case

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and Former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. File Photo

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and ex-Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi have been indicted by a special court under the Official Secrets Act in cipher case. The cipher reportedly contained a threat from the United States to remove Imran from office, as alleged by his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Imran Khan had previously been convicted and sentenced to three years in prison in the Toshakhana graft case on August 5, but his sentence was suspended on August 29, Dawn news reported. He remained in jail due to being on judicial remand in the cipher case. On September 30, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) submitted a charge sheet naming Qureshi as the principal accused in the cipher case, according to the Dawn report.

"This is a false, fabricated case, designed to exact political revenge. Will prove my innocence," the PTI chief was reported to have said as he denied the charges, Express Tribune reported.

Addressing the media outside the Adiala jail, - where the former premier's in-camera jail trial is being held - his lawyer Usman Riaz Gul said that although today was fixed for indictment "[we] requested for the process to be deferred till full statements of the witnesses as well as the seizure memo were provided to the accused".

"Both PTI chairman and Shah Mahmood Qureshi had written while signing that they will not be able to respond to the indictment charges until provided with all the documents of the case," he added, according to the Express tribune report.

The court initially scheduled the indictment of the two PTI leaders for October 17 but delayed it to the most recent hearing. During today's hearing, Special Court Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain formally commenced the trial and scheduled the next hearing for October 27, when witnesses will be produced.

FIA Special Prosecutor Shah Khawar confirmed that the indictment had been read out in open court, with both PTI leaders present. The defense lawyer for Imran Khan stated that his client denied the crime and would challenge the court's order in the high court. Imran Khan claimed that a conspiracy was formed against him, his government was overthrown, and there were no minutes of the meeting in question.

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The FIR (First Information Report) states that Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi are accused of wrongful communication/use of official secret information and illegal retention of a cipher telegram, with the intention to achieve their ulterior motives and personal gains. They are alleged to have communicated secret information to unauthorized individuals by twisting facts and conspiring to misuse the contents of the cipher document. Imran Khan is also accused of manipulating the contents of the cipher message for his vested interest and retaining the document, compromising the state's cipher security system and the secret communication methods of Pakistani missions abroad.