Three more to testify against Imran, Qureshi

RAWALPINDI:

The special court recently formed to hear cases registered under the Official Secrets Act, 1923 on Friday (today) will record testimonies of three more witnesses against PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his fellow party leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the diplomatic cipher case in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.

Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain of the special court will hear the matter. Imran and Qureshi will appear before the court.
The defence lawyers will cross-examine the state witnesses.

There are a total of 28 official witnesses in the case. After the testimonies of three more witnesses are recorded, 22 will be left.

The cipher case pertains to a document waved by Imran, the then prime minister, at a public rally in March last year, terming it as evidence of a foreign conspiracy behind the no-confidence motion he faced at the time. The motion was carried a few weeks later, leading to the toppling of Imran's government.

Imran was accused of violating the prime minister's oath by revealing the cipher at the public rally and in the national and international media while Qureshi, who was the foreign minister at the time, was accused of assisting Imran in delivering a speech during the rally.

Both the PTI leaders were indicted in the case last month.

On Tuesday, the court recorded the statements of three witnesses who belonged to the foreign affairs ministry.

The in-camera hearing of the case took place at the special court set up in Adiala Jail. Imran and Qureshi were present in the courtroom during the proceedings.

Before the witnesses recorded their testimonies, the two PTI leaders were allowed to meet their lawyers.

After the hearing, PTI chairman’s lawyer Salman Safdar said the proceedings started in the morning and ended at around 4pm, adding that apparently there was pressure on the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to finish the case quickly.

He continued that the three official witnesses had arrived from the Foreign Office even though the plaintiff in the case was the interior ministry.

Safdar maintained that during cross-examination of the witnesses, the PTI’s legal team had not seen them “free”.

He added that the PTI had also filed an appeal in the Supreme Court for a post-arrest bail and against the indictment by the special court.

The lawyer said he had met with Imran twice on Tuesday, adding that the PTI’s legal team had received great assistance from Qureshi in understanding the matter.

He claimed that the government and political opponents were left with no option but the cipher case.

Safdar said the proceedings of the case were taking place under the Official Secrets Act, but they were nowhere near a secret.

“The witness responded to every question that it was a secret and they won’t say anything,” he continued.

Barrister Umair Niazi, Imran’s focal person on legal affairs, said the PTI chief had reiterated that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif could never play without his “umpires” and he was looking at them again.