Islamabad: A special court Monday extended by two days the physical remand of Pakistan’s former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in connection with the leakage of a confidential diplomatic cable that was allegedly misused for political purposes by the previous Imran Khan-led government.
Qureshi, 67, a close aide of jailed former prime minister Khan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party’s Vice Chairman, was arrested August 19 under the Official Secrets Act for violating the secrecy of the official cable sent by the Pakistani embassy in the US to the foreign office when he was the foreign minister.
The two-time foreign minister was later remanded by the special court in Federal Investigation Agency’s custody for four days till August 25. Friday, the court extended his remand by three days.
Monday, the FIA presented Qureshi before the special court and sought an extension of five days in the remand of Qureshi.
Special Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi pleaded with the court that they have to recover his mobile phone, Geo News reported, citing sources.
However, Qureshi’s counsel, Babar Awan opposed the request and cited several verdicts of the superior judiciary in his defence.
During the hearing, Awan argued that his client had nothing to do with the cipher case and read out Articles 90 and 91 of the Constitution in the court.
Awan maintained that Qureshi had been in remand for the last nine days. “This is enough,” he said.
On the prosecutor’s demand for an extension in physical custody to recover the mobile phone, Awan told the judge that Qureshi’s mobile is with FIA and there’s no need for further remand.
After this, Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain, who has been given additional charge of the special court, reserved the verdict which was announced later.
Khan has for long mentioned the missing cable as evidence of a “foreign conspiracy” to remove him as the prime minister in April last year.
According to a media report last week, the trial of Khan and Qureshi in the cipher case, under the Official Secrets Act, is expected to start within a fortnight.
Official sources said the FIA is trying to complete the challan by August last week for the initiation of trial in the recently formed special court. The FIA has already arrested both Khan and Qureshi in the case.
Qureshi was foreign minister when the issue of the diplomatic cable erupted.
The purported cipher (secret diplomatic cable) contained an account of a meeting between US State Department officials, including Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu, and Pakistani envoy Asad Majeed Khan last year.
Of late, Khan has come under increased scrutiny following the publication of a purported copy of the secret cable by the US media outlet The Intercept, with many in the previous government led by Shehbaz Sharif pointing fingers at the PTI chief for being the source of the leak.
Khan, 70, is currently serving a three-year jail term after he was sentenced by a court in a corruption case earlier this month.
PTI
