'Missing cipher' stokes legal troubles for Imran

The counter-terrorism wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) registered a case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in connection with the “missing cipher”, invoking severe provisions of law, sources said on Wednesday.

As the incarcerated former prime minister contends with his ongoing legal battles, the agency's move signalled a concerted effort to tighten its net around him over the cypher's disappearance, which he had previously blamed for the alleged conspiracy against his government.

Although the FIA confirmed the registration of the case, the agency apparently withheld further details as no official position was provided when contacted.

The sources revealed that a senior officer, who requested anonymity, claimed to have received instructions from authorities to remain silent on the matter.

Meanwhile, Azam Khan, the former prime minister’s principal secretary, appeared before the joint investigation team at the FIA headquarters for questioning regarding the cipher controversy. “Khan complied with the FIA's request and answered the inquiry team's questions for more than two hours,” the sources added.

Earlier, the former interior minister had announced that Imran had been summoned by the FIA in relation to the cipher issue.

His statement followed the remarks of the former prime minister’s principal secretary, who dismissed the cipher narrative as baseless, alleging that it was fabricated to divert attention from an impending no-confidence motion.

Azam, who had been “missing”, suddenly emerged to make shocking revelations about the US cipher. He recorded his statement before a magistrate under the Criminal Procedure Code 164.

In response to Azam’s statement, the PTI chairman stated that he would not comment until all the relevant information was available. He questioned the circumstances under which these statements by Azam were made.

Imran had appeared before the JIT last month and was called again on Aug 1 to appear before the probe team in the FIA but the PTI chairman avoided joining further probe into the matter.

Former premier Shehbaz Sharif had also in his farewell address to leaders of the coalition parties said that the US cipher, which was manoeuvred by the PTI chief for political interests, was actually a “grave conspiracy”.

According to a classified Pakistani government document obtained by The Intercept, the US State Department had encouraged the Pakistani government in a March 7, 2022, meeting to remove Imran as prime minister over his neutrality on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

It said one month after the meeting with the US officials documented in the leaked Pakistani government document, a no-confidence vote was held in parliament, leading to Imran’s removal from power.

The vote is believed to have been organised with the backing of Pakistan’s powerful military. Since that time, Imran and his supporters have been engaged in a struggle with the military and its civilian allies, whom Imran claims engineered his removal from power at the request of the US.