Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Vice Chairman, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, was apprehended from his home in Islamabad, shocking many. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has tied his detention to the investigation surrounding a cipher, which PTI contends had a message from the US suggesting the removal of Imran Khan from his position.
PTI has also confirmed that Qureshi was arrested from his dwelling and is presently being transferred to the FIA headquarters in the capital.
The dramatic development follows shortly after Qureshi’s press briefing, where he quashed any rumours about internal party rifts that might find a successor for the imprisoned PTI chief, Imran Khan.
A couple of days prior, Imran Khan, presently in Attock Jail due to his conviction in the Toshakhana case, was named in a FIR under the Official Secrets Act 1923, linked to the cipher case. The FIA’s counter-terrorism wing has flagged the former PM’s direct misuse of this sensitive document post their investigation.
Underlying Cipher Controversy
Earlier in the year, both Qureshi and PTI leader Asad Umar underwent a nearly two-hour interrogation by the FIA concerning the contentious US cipher. On multiple occasions, Qureshi had reaffirmed the legitimacy of the US cypher, supporting Khan’s allegations about a US-fueled plot for his removal.
The gravity of the cipher case increased exponentially when Khan’s chief secretary, Azam Khan, confessed that Khan had manipulated the US cipher for his political leverage. This revelation underpinned the narrative that Khan utilized this cipher as a tool to spotlight alleged foreign intervention in the opposition-led motion against him.
The cipher saga initiated on March 27, 2022, with Khan unveiling a mysterious letter, which he claimed was an encrypted message from a foreign entity hinting at the need to oust his government. He later attributed this to the United States, pinpointing the involvement of Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs, Donald Lu. This cipher primarily revolved around the dialogue between Pakistan’s ex-ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed, and Lu.
Drawing from the cipher, Khan proclaimed that his removal from power would grant Pakistan certain leniencies. In response to these audacious claims, a “strong demarche” was decided upon to counteract the alleged “interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs”. Following Khan’s dethronement, his successor, Shehbaz Sharif, assessed the situation only to deduce the absence of any solid proof supporting foreign conspiracy claims tied to the cipher.
