The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday submitted a challan in the cipher case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, stating it had found both “guilty.”
The challan requested the court to conduct their trial and sentence them in the case. It has not been made public, as the case is proceeding in-camera due to the sensitive nature of the allegations. According to local media, the challan does not include former PTI secretary-general Asad Umar as one of the accused, though he was investigated by authorities.
Imran Khan’s former principal secretary Azam Khan, however, has been cited as a “strong witness,” and the FIA has attached his statements recorded under Sections 161 and 164 with the challan. According to Azam’s statement, the PTI chief retained a copy of the cipher and “misused” it for political purposes in violation of the Official Secrets Act.
To bolster its case, the FIA has attached a transcript of the speeches Khan and Qureshi delivered at a rally on March 27, 2022. The rally, called as Khan was facing a vote of no-confidence, saw the former prime minister brandishing a piece of paper he claimed was a copy of the cipher from a foreign nation that wanted his government to be removed from power.
Local media has reported that the FIA has attached a total of 28 witnesses within the challan, adding that all their statements have been recorded under Section 161 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Both Khan and Qureshi are currently incarcerated on judicial remand in the cipher case. Earlier this week, a special court hearing the case extended their remand until Oct. 10.