Pakistan: Imran Khan booked under Official Secrets Act in Cipher case

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been booked under the Official Secrets Act 1923 in connection with the Cipher case Geo News reported on Friday citing The NewsThe counterterrorism wing of the Federal Investigation Agency FIA had registered the case against the Pakistan TehreekeInsaaf Chairman who was ousted from office after a noconfidence motion in April last year after ascertaining his deliberate involvement in misusing the classified document following a probeGeo News reported citing government sources that the PTI chief has been booked under Section 5 of the recentlyamended act However authorities displayed reluctance in sharing a copy of the FIROffences under Section 5 if proved in a court of law involve punishment of imprisonment from two to 14 years and in some cases even a death sentence as per Geo NewsThe matter pertains to March last year when the Pakistan TehreekeInsaaf PTI Chairman brandished a letter claiming that it was evidence of an international conspiracy backed by the US to topple his governmentEarlier on Wednesday a joint investigation team JIT of the Federal Investigation Agency FIA interrogated former Imran Khan inside the Attock jail in a case related to the cable gate sagaNotably the cipher case against Khan took a serious turn after his principal secretary Azam Khan stated before a magistrate as well as the FIA that the former PM had used the US cipher for his political gains and to avert a vote of noconfidence against himThe former bureaucrat in his confession said when he provided the expremier with the cipher he was euphoric and termed the language a US blunderAccording to Azam the former PM then said that the cable could be used for creating a narrative against establishment and oppositionAzam said the US cipher was used in political gatherings by the PTI chairman despite his advice to him to avoid such acts He mentioned that the former prime minister also told him that the cipher could be used to divert the publics attention towards foreign involvement in the oppositions noconfidence motion Geo News reportedImran while making the claims did not reveal the contents of the letter nor mention the name of the nation that had sent it But a few days later he named the United States and said that Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs Donald Lu had sought his removalMonths later two audio leaks took the internet by storm and shocked the public after these events The former prime minister thenfederal minister Asad Umar and Azam could allegedly be heard discussing the US cipher and how to use it in their interest as per ARY NewsMeanwhile the ousted premier is behind bars at Attock Jail after a trial court in Islamabad found him guilty of concealing proceeds of Toshakhana state depository gifts that he received from foreign dignitaries as the prime minister of the country from 2018 to 2022 and sentenced him to three years in prison along with a fine of PKR 100000Subsequently the Election Commission of Pakistan ECP disqualified him for five years from holding public office following his convictionThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever