Islamabad – In a significant legal development, a special court in Islamabad rejected the bail petition of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, in a cipher case. The decision was delivered by Official Secrets Act court judge Abul Hasanat Zulqarnain following a reserved verdict.
The key factor contributing to the court’s decision to dismiss Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s bail plea was his absence during the legal proceedings. Additionally, the court also dismissed both petitions submitted by Qureshi’s lawyer, Ali Bukhari.
Ali Bukhari had filed applications on behalf of Shah Mehmood Qureshi, seeking exemption from attending court proceedings and requesting the summoning of Qureshi for the case.
The arrest of Shah Mehmood Qureshi took place on August 19 when the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) apprehended him from his residence in Islamabad. He was subsequently booked under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, in connection with a diplomatic cypher case.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the case was registered against PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi on August 15. It alleged the misplacement of a diplomatic cable from the United States, citing sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, along with Section 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
The rejection of Qureshi’s bail plea marks a significant development in this case, and the legal proceedings surrounding the cipher case continue to garner attention and scrutiny.
