On Monday, an Anti-Terrorism court (ATC) indicted Former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the May 9th case. Qureshi was brought to Kot Lakhpat jail from Adiala jail under tight security.
Qureshi is under arrest due to several cases related to May 9th, 2024. The court has ordered to produce witnesses in the next hearing, scheduled on July 22nd. He is currently kept in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail.
Earlier this year, eight more cases related to May 9th were filed against him. Despite being freed from the Cipher case, Shah Mehmood Qureshi is facing imprisonment on charges of inciting violence on May 9th.
Read more: IHC suspends Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s sentence in Cipher case
In a significant development last month, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday acquitted PTI founder Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case. The short verdict was delivered by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, who accepted the appeals of the former premier and diplomat against their convictions.
Despite the acquittal, Imran and Qureshi are not expected to be released from prison immediately. Imran is still serving a sentence in the Iddat case, while Qureshi remains detained due to recent arrests related to the May 9 incidents.
Previously, a special court established under the Official Secrets Act had sentenced both Imran and Qureshi to 10 years in prison in January. This verdict came after Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain appointed state counsel for them.
The cipher case revolves around a diplomatic document that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) alleged was never returned by then-PM Imran. Imran had claimed that the document contained a threat from the US to topple his government.
In March, the IHC questioned why the FIA was investigating Imran and Qureshi but not other recipients of the cipher. Last month, the IHC noted that the FIA had no evidence proving that Imran retained the confidential diplomatic cable or that it went missing from his possession.