ISLAMABAD: A special court for Official Secrets Act cases prolonged former foreign minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s cypher case remand by two days on Monday.
The FIA presented Qureshi to the court after a nine-day extended physical remand.
The FIA sought a five-day extension of the PTI leader’s remand from the special court seized with the Cypher case under the Official Secrets Act.
According to sources, Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Navi pleaded with the court to return his phone.
Moreover, Qureshi’s lawyer, Babar Awan, rejected the proposal and cited multiple high court rulings.
While, ATC Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain, who has been granted extra charge of the special court, heard the case.
The FIA’s CTW arrested Qureshi earlier this month. It was on Interior Secretary Yousaf Naseem Khokhar’s complaint.
Moreover, The CTW, FIA Islamabad’s enquiry No. 111/2023 dated 05.10.2022, revealed that former prime minister Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi. Former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and their associates communicated information from a secret classified document (Cypher Telegram received from Parep. Washington dated 7th March, 2022 to Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to the UN. The FIR said.
Moreover, The source said Babar Awan quoted Articles 90 and 91 of the Constitution in court today to prove his client unrelated to the cypher matter.
Awan claimed Qureshi was in remand for nine days. It’s enough.”
While, The PTI leader’s counsel told the judge that Qureshi’s mobile phone is with FIA and there’s no need for extended remand on the prosecutor’s request.
