Former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the physical remand granted by a special court to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in a case pertaining to a missing diplomatic cipher from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) former prime minister.
In his plea to the court, Shah Mahmood Qureshi has requested the declaration of the trial court’s decisions on August 20, 21, and 25 as void. He has urged the high court to send him on judicial remand after declaring the physical remand decision as void.
Qureshi stated, “With malicious intent and connivance of the federal government, the case has been framed against me. I didn’t receive the cipher telegram, nor did I share its transcript with anyone.”
He further petitioned, “The record proves that the cipher has been in the possession of the foreign ministry.”
“The FIA has arrested me and obtained my physical remand three times. Despite the prosecution’s failure to provide evidence, the trial court granted physical remand,” Qureshi said.
The federal government and the secretary interior have been named as respondents in the petition.
The special court in Islamabad granted the FIA three days’ physical remand of PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the diplomatic cipher case on Friday.
Judge Abu Al-Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain presided over the case against Shah Mahmood Qureshi under the Official Secrets Act 2023. The court directed the investigating officer to present Qureshi again on August 28.
Qureshi, who served as foreign minister, was arrested in Islamabad last week.
The first information report (FIR) was registered on August 15 under the Official Secrets Act on the complaint of the Home Secretary.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi were named in the report, along with former principal secretary Azam Khan and former planning minister Asad Umar.
According to the report, action will also be taken against Azam Khan and Asad Umar after authorities concluded that they were also involved in misusing the classified document.