Cipher case: Special court extends Qureshi's physical remand by 3 days

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi physical remand was extended by three days by a special court in Islamabad in the cipher case on Friday, sources told Geo News.

The development comes after the Federal Investigation Agency, as per the sources, requested a nine-day physical remand of the senior politician for further investigation in the case pertaining to the leak of the cipher during the PTI government's tenure last year.

The hearing of the case by Judge Abual Hasnat was held in-camera in the special court, established as per the Official Secrets Act, which was passed by the parliament earlier this month amid immense opposition by lawmakers.

Qureshi was produced at the judicial complex, heavily secured by the Frontier Corps and Islamabad Police personnel, after he was arrested by the FIA on August 20. 

The PTI senior leader was represented by his counsel Shoaib Shaheen, who opposed Qureshi's physical remand by the FIA.

The special prosecutor for the cipher case, Zulfiqar Naqvi had sought a nine-day remand of the PTI leader, however, the judge remanded Qureshi into FIA's custody for three days.   

According to a report by The News, the trial of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his deputy Qureshi in the cipher case, under the Official Secrets Act, is expected to start within a fortnight.

Official sources said the FIA is trying to complete the challan by next week for the initiation of trial in the recently formed special court. The FIA has already arrested both Khan and Qureshi in the case.

The PTI vice chairman has been in the agency's custody's since August 19. He was later remanded by the special court in FIA's custody for four days till August 25.

Khan, on the other hand, was arrested in the same case during his imprisonment in Attock jail in the Toshakhana case. The JIT, formed to probe the cipher case, interrogated the former premier in the Attock Jail, after which he told the joint invetsigation team about losing the cipher's cop.

The JIT interrogation pertains to the diplomatic cipher which reportedly went missing from Imran’s custody and which he had for long presented as evidence of a “foreign conspiracy” to remove him as the prime minister.