Cipher Case
In the cipher case, a special court has scheduled the indictment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi for October 17.
The case was heard in Adiala Jail by Session Judge Abu Alhasnaat Malik on Monday. Both Khan and Qureshi have been in jail since their August arrests.
Judge Zulqurnain announced that he would indict them on October 17 and summon government witnesses to provide their statements.
During Monday’s hearing, the Federal Investigation Agency formally handed the two politicians challans, requesting the court to sentence them after trial.
The case, registered under the Official Secrets Act, accuses Khan of disclosing the contents of a classified cipher written by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington.
FIA’s challan alleges that Khan violated the law by retaining the cipher instead of returning it, purportedly losing a copy.
The FIA reportedly submitted a list of 28 witnesses along with the challan, including 161 statements from 27 of these witnesses.
Imran Khan has been in jail since August 5, following his conviction in the Toshakhana case for corrupt practices. Although he obtained a suspension of his jail sentence on August 29, he remained in custody due to his arrest in the cipher case from jail.
The cipher case surfaced in March 2022 when then-Prime Minister Imran Khan presented a document, purportedly the cipher, at a public rally in Islamabad.
Khan claimed it as evidence of a foreign government conspiring to remove him from power, leading to his subsequent ousting in a no-confidence vote.
