Rawalpindi, January 30, 2024 : On Tuesday, a special court hearing the cipher case sentenced both the former prime minister and founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Shah Mahmood Qureshi, to a 10-year jail term each.
The ex-prime minister and former foreign minister have been under trial in Adiala Jail since last year in a cipher case, accused of distorting diplomatic cipher facts. The charges include conspiring to misuse cipher contents for malicious purposes.
Special Court Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain delivered the verdict in the cipher case immediately after recording statements from the two accused under Section 342 during today’s (Tuesday) hearing.
The court, in its decision, affirmed that the prosecution presented sufficient evidence to substantiate the charges against the former prime minister and ex-foreign minister. Last Friday, Raja Rizwan Abbasi, the FIA prosecutor, urged the special court operating under the Official Secrets Act to restrict the defense counsel’s cross-examination rights, citing alleged delay tactics employed by the defense to prolong the trial.
Cipher case
The first information report (FIR) was registered on August 15 under the Official Secrets Act. It was registered on the complaint of the Home Secretary.
Former prime minister and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi were nominated in the report, while names of former principal secretary Azam Khan and former planning minister Asad Umar were also mentioned.
According to the report, action also will be taken against Azam Khan and Asad Umar after the authorities reached the conclusion that they were also involved in misusing the classified documents.
