Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s Remand Extended Amidst Allegations of “Political Vendetta”

On Monday, the special court addressing cases related to the Official Secrets Act prolonged the physical custody of Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) vice chairman and former foreign minister, by an additional two days.

Qureshi was presented before the court after completing his initial three-day remand regarding a case of a misplaced cypher. After a confidential hearing, the court granted the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) custody of Qureshi for another 48 hours. The court emphasized that there would be no further extensions if the prosecution didn’t progress with the case.

Qureshi’s Battle Against Political Vendetta

Previously, Qureshi sought intervention from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to nullify the orders related to his physical custody. He appealed against the consecutive physical remand decisions made by the trial court on August 20, 21, and 25. In his appeal, Qureshi contended for the annulment of the Official Secrets Act court’s custody decisions and advocated for a judicial remand instead. He alleged the case against him was a politically motivated move orchestrated in alliance with the federal government.

Last week, Qureshi was arrested at his Islamabad residence by the FIA. The agency has implicated Qureshi, former Prime Minister Imran Khan and several others for the illicit possession and misuse of confidential information, focusing on the cypher telegram, a classified document.

Read: Three-Day Remand Extension for PTI’s Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Cipher Case

Further details from FIR No 6/2023 highlighted plans to investigate the roles of several key figures, including ex-PM’s principal secretary Azam Khan, former planning minister Asad Umar, and other related individuals.

Originating from a complaint lodged by then interior secretary Yousaf Naseem Khokhar, the counter-terrorism wing (CTW) of the FIA formed a case based on specific sections of the Official Secrets Act of 1923 and the Pakistan Penal Code. The FIR resulted from findings from enquiry No111/2023 dated Oct 5, 2022, conducted by the FIA’s CTW.