ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s high investigation company has arrested an opposition chief, who’s an in depth aide of convicted former Prime Minister Imran Khan, for exposing official secrets and techniques and harming state pursuits, in keeping with case paperwork revealed Sunday.
It’s the most recent improvement in a standoff between the administration of outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his predecessor Khan, who was jailed earlier this month on graft prices.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a two-time international minister, was arrested Saturday evening at his Islamabad house by the Federal Investigation Agency on prices of exposing a letter final yr to assert that Khan was ousted from energy by the U.S.
The letter has not been made public however was apparently diplomatic correspondence between a Pakistani ambassador to Washington and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.
Cricketing hero Khan was booted out of parliament in April 2022 in a no-confidence vote. He insists his removing was engineered by Washington, Sharif’s authorities and the army. All three deny the allegation.
Case paperwork about Qureshi’s arrest stated he, Khan and others are concerned within the communication of knowledge in a secret labeled letter to unauthorized individuals by “twisting the facts to achieve their ulterior motives and personal gains.”
The paperwork allege they conspired to misuse the contents of the letter to perform their “nefarious designs.”
Qureshi was arrested hours after he held a press convention Saturday night demanding a stage enjoying subject for Khan’s celebration, alleging that hundreds of supporters are behind bars. He stated the celebration will problem any doable delay to elections, on account of be held later this yr.
Khan, who’s serving a three-year time period in a excessive safety jail in japanese Punjab province, has additionally been arrested within the case, identified regionally as Cypher. Qureshi is standing in for Khan as chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf celebration, or PTI.
Sharif accused Khan of exposing an official secret doc in an incident final yr when he waved a confidential diplomatic letter at a rally.
The Federal Investigation Agency’s director common, Mohsin Hassan Butt, confirmed Sunday that Khan and Qureshi are each booked below Pakistan’s Official Secrets Act. He gave no additional info.
Qureshi appeared in an Islamabad court docket on Sunday. His lawyer Shah Fahad stated the responsibility Justice of the Peace initially issued a verbal order for him to be held in police custody for 14 days for questioning, however later decreased this era to sooner or later on procedural grounds.
Khan has greater than 150 authorized instances towards him, together with a number of on prices of corruption, “terrorism” and inciting individuals to violence over protests in May that noticed his followers assault authorities and army property throughout the nation.
Authorities have moved to rein within the outspoken politician’s supporters and allies since May, detaining hundreds of Khan’s followers for his or her alleged involvement within the turmoil.
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