Azam Khan, the principal secretary to former prime minister Imran Khan, took an oath on the Holy Quran on Thursday, testifying that the diplomatic cipher provided by the foreign ministry to the ex-PM had not been returned to the ministry by the time he left his position.
Last August, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) booked Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), 1923, for allegedly misusing a diplomatic cipher at the end of the PTI’s rule in March 2022.
On Thursday, a special court, formed last year to hear cases filed under the OSA, 1923, recorded testimonies of five prosecution witnesses, including Khan, inside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.
Imran and Qureshi, detained in the prison, were present in the courtroom when Khan appeared to make his deposition. Both PTI leaders demanded that the former principal secretary swear on the Holy Quran before giving his testimony.
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In his statement, Khan mentioned that, during his tenure as Imran’s principal secretary, the foreign secretary informed him about the cipher telegram. His office provided him with a copy, which he reviewed and later shared with the former prime minister.
Khan stated that Imran informed him that former foreign minister Qureshi had already discussed the content of the telegram with him. The cipher telegram was related to meetings of the Pakistan ambassador to the US with American officials.
“The former PM stated that American authorities had interfered in Pakistan's internal affairs. He said it seems the message was intended for internal actors to change the elected government through a vote of no confidence.
“The former premier retained the copy of the cipher with him and instructed the military secretary, DC, and other staff to look into the matter. He also emphasized taking the public into confidence on the matter,” he said.
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Azam Khan suggested to the former PM to have a formal meeting with the foreign ministry. "I recommended that the foreign secretary should be asked to read the message from the master cipher. In the Bani Gala meeting, the foreign secretary read out the cipher telegram. The participants later decided to present the cipher matter in front of the federal cabinet.
“In the federal cabinet meeting, it was decided to bring the matter before the National Security Committee (NSC), which decided to issue a demarche on foreign interference in the internal affairs of the country.”
According to Azam Khan, it has been a tradition to return the copy of a cipher to the foreign ministry, but this did not happen in this case.
“I informed the PM, the PM Office, and staff multiple times that the cipher copy should be returned, but it was not returned until I left my charge,” he said. The court will resume the hearing today (Friday).
Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Interior Secretary on the petitions against the prison trial of Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case and the £190 million NAB references.
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