Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s physical remand extended by two days in cypher case
ISLAMABAD, August 28 (SABAH): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman and former foreign minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi’s physical remand was extended by two days on Monday by the special court hearing cases pertaining to the Official Secrets Act.
The PTI stalwart was produced in court the case about the missing cypher after completing his earlier three-day physical remand. Following an in-camera hearing, the court handed Qureshi back to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for another two days.
The Special Court judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain in his remarks stated that no further physical remand will be given if the prosecution fails to proceed in the case further.
After Monday’s proceedings concluded, Qureshi’s lawyer Shoaib Shaheen told reporters outside the court that his client’s remand had been extended for another two days. He also quoted the special court judge as saying that further physical remand would not be granted if there was no development in the case.
Meanwhile, talking to reporters outside the court, Qureshi said, “They have no justification for granting further remand … they are committing an absolute injustice and are violating the law.” “They are depriving me of my right. They could not provide any evidence [against me to the court], could not prove anything and are doing injustice,” he added. The PTI vice-chairman went on to assert, “I have fully cooperated in every aspect and now they want to pursue a political vendetta but I have God’s justice and am firm on my position.”
Two days earlier, Qureshi had moved the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to declare orders pertaining to his physical remand null and void. The PTI vice-chairman filed a petition against three orders of physical remand passed by the trial court on August 20, 21 and 25.
“The Official Secrets Act court’s order to give physical remand should be declared null and void,” said the petition, further maintaining that “an order for a judicial remand should be passed”.
He further stated in his plea that a “malicious case” was filed against him with the “connivance of the federal government” for “political vendetta”.
Last week, the FIA arrested Qureshi from his residence in the federal capital.
The agency has booked former premier Imran Khan and Qureshi among others for “wrongful use” of official secret information and illegal retention of the cypher telegram – an official secret document – with malafide intention.
The FIR No 6/2023 read that the role of the former prime minister’s principal secretary Muhammad Azam Khan, ex-planning minister Asad Umar, and other associates involved would be determined during the course of investigations.
The counter-terrorism wing (CTW) of the FIA had registered a case 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 on the complaint of then interior secretary Yousaf Naseem Khokhar in Islamabad.
The FIR revealed that the case had been registered upon the conclusion of an enquiry No111/2023 dated Oct 5, 2022, registered in the FIA’s CTW.