Pakistan: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan interrogated in Attock jail over missing cypher case

File Photo/AFP

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, was reportedly interrogated by Pakistan's top investigative agency at the Attock Jail. The interrogation was related to a case filed against Khan under the Official Secrets Act for the alleged wrongful use of a confidential diplomatic cable.

Pakistan's The News International newspaper reported that Khan, who is currently serving a three-year jail term in a corruption case, admitted during the interrogation that he had misplaced the confidential diplomatic cable. The cable had been previously cited by Khan as evidence of a US-backed conspiracy to remove him as the prime minister.

The case against Khan revolves around allegations that he made the content of a confidential diplomatic cable from Pakistan's embassy in the US public, thus violating the Official Secrets Act. The investigation team from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) visited Khan in jail and questioned him for over an hour. Khan admitted to losing the confidential cypher and stated that he couldn't recall where he had kept it.

Khan had previously waved a document at a public rally, claiming it was proof of a foreign conspiracy against him. He denied during the interrogation that the paper he waved was the diplomatic cable, asserting that it was actually Cabinet meeting minutes.

The investigation also involves Khan's principal secretary, Azam Khan, former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and other associates, who are suspected of being involved in the misuse and misplacement of the cypher. Qureshi was previously arrested in connection with the case.

The case has drawn attention due to Khan's allegations of a conspiracy to remove him from power, as well as the allegations of mishandling classified documents. The authenticity of the diplomatic cable and its role in Khan's claims have been a subject of debate and controversy.

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The cricketer-turned-politician came under increased scrutiny following the publication of a purported copy of the secret cable by the US media outlet The Intercept, with many in the previous government led by Shehbaz Sharif pointing fingers at the PTI chief for being the source of the leak.

Former interior minister Rana Sanaullah has said that if Khan had indeed lost the copy of the cypher provided to him, it would constitute a crime under the Official Secrets Act.

Citing the cypher, The Intercept, in a report published earlier this month, said, "The US State Department encouraged the Pakistani government in a March 7, 2022, meeting to remove Imran Khan as prime minister over his neutrality on the Russian invasion of Ukraine."

The publication, however, also stated it made extensive efforts to authenticate the document, but "given the security climate in Pakistan, independent confirmation from sources in the Pakistani government was not possible".

The US State Department had said it could not verify the authenticity of the document.