Imran Khan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi indicted in cypher case

Rawalpindi: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and Vice-chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi have been indicted in the cypher case on Monday.

According to details, Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain of the Special Court of Official Secrets Act filed the charges during the hearing in Adiala Jail.

Chairman PTI and Shah Mehmood Qureshi have denied the crime.

The court rejected the petition of chairman PTI to halt the indictment saying that today's date was set for indictment, therefore it will be filed.

The court adjourned the hearing of cypher case till October 27, summoning the statements of the witnesses in the case.

Earlier, the date of charge-sheeting was fixed on October 17, but at that time the objection was raised by the lawyers of Tehreek-e-Insaf about not providing copies of the challan. After PTI's objection, the date of indictment was fixed today.

On the occasion of the hearing today, strict security measures were observed outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi and additional police force was deployed.

It is pertinent to note that Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi are currently imprisoned in Adiala Jail in the cypher case.

What is cypher case?

Chairman PTI and former Prime Minister Imran Khan created a conspiracy narrative against his government based on the messages or cyphers of the Pakistani ambassador to the US, in which Imran Khan had claimed that US had a hand in the overthrow of his government, However, the PTI government's position regarding the cypher has been denied in the meeting of the National Security Committee.

Apart from this, an audio leak of Imran Khan and his former secretary Azam Khan regarding the cypher was revealed, in which former Prime Minister was heard saying ‘now we have only to play, not to name US, just play this that the date was already written on it’. To which Azam Khan replied ‘I was thinking that a meeting should be held over this cypher’.

After that, the federal cabinet entrusted the investigation of the matter to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Azam Khan was the Principal Secretary to the then Prime Minister Imran Khan during the PTI regime and was considered very close to him.

Regarding the cypher, former Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Lt. Gen. Babar Iftikhar said that an attempt was made to dramatize the cypher, rumors and false news were spread with the aim to gain political advantage.