Shah Mahmood Qureshi, deputy chairman of the PTI, had his physical remand in a cypher case extended by a special court in Islamabad on Monday.
Shah Mahmood physical remand extended: Judge Abu Al-Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain presided over Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s case in accordance with the Official Secrets Act 2023.
The FIA attorney requested a 13-day physical detention of the former foreign minister to recover a cypher copy at the beginning of the hearing, but Qureshi’s attorney Shoaib Shaheen objected.
The court then extended the physical detention of Shah Mahmood Qureshi for an additional four days and directed the investigating officer to bring Qureshi before the court again on August 25.
Authorities took former foreign minister Qureshi into custody on Saturday night in Islamabad.
On August 15, the authorities invoked the Official Secrets Act when they registered the first information report (FIR), a copy of which is available with News. The registration was in response to a complaint filed by the Home Secretary.
The report also listed the names of former principal secretary Azam Khan and former planning minister Asad Umar, alongside former prime minister Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
After determining their involvement in improperly utilizing secret documents, authorities reportedly plan to take action against Azam Khan and Asad Umar as well.
According to the FIR, the former foreign minister and prime minister fabricated information on the diplomatic cypher. The statement went on, revealing that individuals had initiated a plot to misuse the information contained within the cipher for malicious objectives. The statement further mentioned that the actions of the former premier and senior diplomat had adversely affected the state’s interests.
The report states that the former prime minister instructed Azam Khan, his principal secretary, to “manipulate the contents of the cypher.” Furthermore, the statement suggests that the former prime minister deliberately held onto a copy of the diplomatic cypher that had been dispatched to the PM office.