An FIR was filed under the Official Secrets Act, 2023, against PTI Chairman Imran Khan and others for the “wrongful use” and illegal retention of a cypher telegram, an official classified document. Khan was questioned by the FIA’s Counter Terrorism Wing in Islamabad for over an hour on Saturday.
Upon the conclusion of inquiry number 111/2023 on October 5, 2022, the FIA CTW in Islamabad filed charges against Imran and fellow party leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi under sections 5 (wrongful communication, etc., of information) and 9 (attempts, incitements, etc.) of the Official Secrets Act of 1923 read with Section 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
According to the FIR No. 6/2023, the investigation will determine the involvement of the former prime minister’s principal secretary, Azam Khan, the former planning minister, Asad Umar, and other allies.
A cypher telegram from Washington dated March 7, 2022 was received by the foreign affairs secretary, and it was alleged that Imran, Qureshi, and their associates were involved in communicating the contents of this document to unauthorised persons (the public at large) by “twisting the facts to achieve their ulterior motives and personal gains” in a way that was “prejudicial to the interests” of state security.
The FIA’s CTW began making arrests under the Official Secrets Act after the Toshakhana case, during which Azam Khan’s statement was also recorded in the cypher issue.
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On August 19, the FIA raided Qureshi’s home in Islamabad and arrested him; a special court later remanded him to FIA prison. He, too, is being questioned about his possible involvement in the crime.
The FIA’s CW team reportedly visited the PTI head in Attock Jail at 2 p.m. as he was serving a three-year prison sentence for his role in the Toshakhana (gift repository) case.
After being found guilty of making false claims regarding his assets to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Imran was detained on August 5 and taken to Attock Jail.
Further Meetings Judge Humayun Dilawar also banned the PTI leader from running for office for five years, seemingly ruining his chances of running in the upcoming elections in November.
The former prime minister spoke with the FIA inquiry team and addressed their questions about Qureshi’s testimony.
After Imran had long presented a copy of the diplomatic cypher as evidence of a “foreign conspiracy” to topple him as prime minister, the FIA CTW team questioned him about its disappearance.
The PTI chairman was questioned by the inquiry team till 3:30pm, at which point they recorded his statement and left.
