Former foreign minister and PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court seeking to declare his physical remand order issued by a special court null and void in the cipher case, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Qureshi submitted his petition to the high court against three court orders of August 20, 21 and 23 that remanded him into police custody in the cipher case registered under the Official Secrets Act, pleading with the court to void these orders.

He requested the court to send him on the judicial remand after declaring physical remand order of the special court set up to hear cases registered under the Official Secrets Act null and void.

He said a case based on mala fide intentions was filed against him with the connivance of the federal government. He further said the case was registered against him under the Official Secrets Act to exact a political vengeance on him.

Qureshi said that he duly joined the FIA investigations into the case. He said he did not receive the cipher telegram, nor did he share its transcript with any unauthorized person. Records prove that the cipher is with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the former foreign minister said adding that ‘despite all these facts, FIA arrested me, got physical remand three times’.

As per the application, the prosecution failed to produce any evidence, yet the trial court granted physical remand.

While making the Federation and the Interior Secretary parties to the case, the petitioner stated that the judge did not bother to reflect on the fact that the FIR did not allege that he was in possession of the cipher.

In the FIR, it has been alleged that the cipher was in the possession of someone else. While performing his duties as foreign minister, he conveyed the message to the prime minister of Pakistan as per the law, the petition concluded.

 

Reporter Farzana Siddique