Cipher case: FIA arrests Qureshi under Official Secrets Act

ISLAMABAD: The Counter Terrorism Wing (CTW) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested former foreign minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case.

The FIA’s section concerned confirmed the report, disclosing that, like PTI chairman Imran Khan, Qureshi has also been booked under the Official Secrets Act. According to Geo News, former prime minister Imran has also been arrested in the cipher case. The PTI chairman is doing time in the Attock jail after he was convicted in the Toshakhana criminal case on August 5, while the PTI vice chairman and former foreign minister was taken into custody on Saturday from his residence in Islamabad. The CTW arrested Qureshi when he reached home after addressing a press conference in the evening.

FIA sources confirmed that Qureshi has been arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation into the cipher case, adding that the people engaged in the investigation were fully confident that the former foreign minister, like the former prime minister, was directly responsible for misusing the secret document. The FIA disclosed that an FIR has been lodged against Qureshi under Article 5 regarding Official Secrets Act. “The PTI leader was arrested from his house and straightaway shifted to the FIA headquarters in Islamabad,” the sources confirmed and added that a CTW team has initiated preliminary investigation regarding cipher case.

The development came only two days after PTI chief Imran Khan was named in a first information report (FIR) registered by the FIA under Section 5 of the Official Secrets Act 1923 in the cipher case.

The CTW lodged the FIR against Qureshi on the complaint of Interior Secretary Yousaf Naseem Khokhar under Sections 5 and 9 of Official Secrets Act 1923 r/w 34 PP. The FIR said: “Consequent upon the conclusion of the enquiry No. 111/2023 dated 05.10.2022, registered in the CTW, FIA Islamabad, it transpired that former prime minister namely Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi, former foreign minister namely Shah Mahmood Qureshi and their other associates are involved in communications of information contained in secret classified document (Cipher Telegram received from Parep. Washington dated 7th March, 2022 to Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to the unauthorised person (i.e. public at large) by twisting the facts to achieve their ulterior motives and personal gains in a manner prejudicial to the interests of state security.

“They held a clandestine meeting at Banigala on 28.03.2022 to conspire to misuse the contents of cipher in order to accomplish their nefarious designs. The accused Imran Khan malafidely directed former PSPM Muhammad Azam Khan to prepare the minutes (record note) of said clandestine meeting by manipulating the contents of cipher messages to use it for his vested interest at the cost of the nation’s safety.

“Moreover, the numbered and accountable copy of cipher telegram sent to the PM office was deliberately kept in his custody by the former prime minister Imran Khan, with malafide intention, and was never returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The said cipher telegram (official secret document classified as such) is still in the illegal possessions/ retention of the accused Imran Khan. The authorised retention and misuse of the cipher telegram by the accused persons compromised the entire cipher security system of the state and secret communication method of Pakistani missions abroad.

“These actions by the accused persons directly/ indirectly benefited the interest of foreign powers and caused loss to the state of Pakistan. The competent authority has granted approval for registration of case. Therefore, at police station CTW FIA Islamabad, prima facie, a case under Section 5 and 9 of Official Secrets Act 1923 r/w 34 PPC is registered against former prime minister Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi, former foreign minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, for wrongful communication/ use of official secret information and illegal retention of cipher telegram (official secret document) with malafide intention, whereas role of former PSPM Muhammad Azam Khan, former federal minister Asad Umer and other associates involved will be ascertained during the course of investigation. I will investigate the case. The copies of FIR are being sent to quarters concerned.”

The FIA sources told Geo News that the PTI leader has been arrested in light of the statement of party chief Khan related to the cipher probe.

Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Naya Pakistan’, caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti confirmed that Qureshi was taken into custody by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The caretaker security czar said Qureshi was arrested as he was nominated in the cipher case. The PTI has also confirmed that the party leader was arrested from his residence.

PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub shared the information on his social media account and said, “Vice Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi sahib arrested from his house in Islamabad 25 minutes ago. He had just reached home after doing a Press Conference.”

“Condemn this in the strongest words possible. Had hoped that the reign of lawlessness would have ended after the exit of the … PDM government, but it appears that this caretaker government wants to break the records of their predecessor government,” he wrote.

Earlier in July this year, the FIA grilled Qureshi and PTI leader Asad Umar for nearly two hours in connection with the probe into controversial US cipher. Qureshi time and again has reiterated that the US cipher was reality, backing the party chief’s claims that the US engineered his ouster from power by supporting then opposition’s no-confidence motion in April last year.

The cipher case against the former premier became serious after his principal secretary Azam Khan stated before a magistrate as well as the FIA that the former PM had used the US cipher for his ‘political gains’ and to avert a vote of no-confidence against him.

The former bureaucrat, in his confession, said when he provided the ex-premier with the cipher, he was “euphoric” and termed the language a “US blunder”. The former prime minister, according to Azam, then said that the cable could be used for “creating a narrative against establishment and opposition”.

Azam said the US cipher was used in political gatherings by the PTI chairman, despite his advice to him to avoid such acts. He mentioned that the former prime minister also told him that the cipher could be used to divert the public’s attention towards “foreign involvement” in the opposition’s no-confidence motion.

Earlier, addressing a press conference, PTI Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said his party will move the Supreme Court for the conduct of general elections in 90 days and against the Council of Common Interests (CCI) approval of the digital census.

He told a news conference here along with other party leaders that Senator Ali Zafar would file a petition before the apex court for ensuring holding of general elections in the country within the mandated 90 days, whereas lawyer Salman Akram Raja would move the top court, challenging the CCI’s recent decisions.

Qureshi alleged the previous PDM government had carelessly pushed the country into a constitutional crisis, as the deadline seems to be exceeding with the delayed decision of elections in 90 days. He feared that if elections are not held on time, there will be more delays, and if the elections are delayed further, the Senate elections will be affected because half of the Senate is to be elected in March.

Likewise, he continued, there will be legal and constitutional complications on the election of the president. He recalled the census notification was issued 10 days ago and the Constitution regarding elections in 90 days is very clear. There is a 90-day restriction on holding of elections. But now it is being said that delimitation is a legal point.

He called on other political parties such as the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Pakistan Peoples Party to present a clear stance on the issue.

He also ridiculed any notion of a leadership struggle within the party, saying that Imran was still the PTI chairman and the party’s core committee had passed a resolution affirming the same.

“Imran Khan was, is and will remain our party chairman, as all have faith in him as the party leader and, in this context, the core committee has passed a resolution to confirm it,” he pointed out.

Qureshi said this while commenting on some media reports that the core committee had divisions in its rank and file with regard to leading the party with Imran behind bars. He dismissed such reports and emphasised that no one was taking the place of PTI chairman. There can be no alternative to him; if anyone has a misconception about the PTI chairman, then it will go away.

The PTI vice-chairman spoke highly for the party’s core committee and legal team for the “conditions and difficult circumstances” they were working in.

Qureshi said that such news of rifts is concocted, a plan of disinformation and part of a scheme to create confusion in the party rank and file and to affect their minds.

He said the claim being made about him and PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub trying to take over the party had no truth to it, pointing out Omar had immediately responded to the allegation with a post on X and negating that confusion with great understanding.

The PTI leader confirmed that he had a breakfast meeting with the Australian high commissioner in Islamabad and that other important ambassadors were present on the occasion as well, wherein the PTI presented its stance on the current political situation during the meeting and raised its concerns about the security situation.

Qureshi said, “We had a good conversation, which was presented in the media as if it centered on Imran’s release.” He put aside reports that PTI chairman’s release and the cipher were discussed in the meeting. Qureshi strongly condemned the “reign of terror unleashed to pressurise and harass PTI leaders to quit the party,” and refuted a “concocted and fabricated news” regarding a rift within the party.

The PTI vice-chairman condemned the “state’s coercive actions” against Usman Dar, a senior PTI member, and his family, who were subjected to unwarranted harassment, including intimidation of his wife and children Friday night.

He said that Dar’s business was shutdown, which would directly impact the livelihoods of over 2,500 people, adding that closing a factory that earned dollars was no service to the economy.

PTI’s Central Media Department shared Omar Ayub’s rejoinder to the media report regarding alleged internal divisions within the PTI, clarifying there were no groups in the party or its core committee.

He explained, “Decision-making is being done with consensus and very smoothly as per the framework made by Imran Khan himself and I hold Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi in highest regard and esteem and there had not been any argument during any committee meeting.”