Expected to be released today following the bail in the Cipher case, Pakistan’s former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has been detained for 15 days under MPO orders.
He has been kept in detention in Adiala jail. District Commissioner Rawalpindi issued the MPO orders. According to the law enforcement agencies, he has been detained and will be investigated in the cases related to the May 9th riots.
Law enforcement agencies have named him in the case of 9th May. He, however, had received bail from the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Qureshi is co-accused along with former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan.
Following his bail, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered to submit a surety bond of 1 million against his bail.
On Friday, the Supreme Court (SC) granted post-arrest bail to former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, both currently held at Adiala Jail, in connection with the cipher case. The SC, led by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and including Justices Athar Minallah and Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, directed the PTI leaders to submit surety bonds of Rs1 million each.
Read more: In cipher case, Imran khan and Qureshi get bail by SC
The cipher case revolves around a diplomatic document that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) charge sheet claims was not returned by Imran. The PTI contends that the document contained a threat from the United States to remove Imran as prime minister. The Special Court (Official Secrets Act) had recently restarted the cipher trial at Adiala Jail after Imran and Qureshi were indicted for the second time on December 13.
The initial indictment occurred on October 23, with both pleading not guilty. However, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) deemed the government’s notification for a jail trial “erroneous” and annulled the proceedings. While endorsing Imran’s indictment, the IHC instructed the special court judge to ensure a fair trial.
Seeking Imran’s post-arrest bail, the PTI approached the Supreme Court last month, emphasizing the principle that bail should not be used as a form of punishment.