Rawalpindi: A lengthy hearing of the cipher case against PTI founder and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was held in Adiala Jail under the Official Secrets Act on Monday, during which the cross-examination of 11 witnesses was completed.
Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain heard the contempt of court case against PTI founder and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.
During the hearing, the cross-examination of former Foreign Secretary Sohail Mehmood, former Principal Secretary Azam Khan, former Interior Secretary Yusuf Naseem Khokhar, Interior Secretary Aftab Akbar Durrani, and former Ambassador to America Asad Majeed was completed. It should be noted that the cross-examination of a total of 25 witnesses in the case has been completed.
After cross-examination of the witnesses, questionnaires have been prepared to record the statements of the accused under Section 342. The court will hear again today (Tuesday).
During the hearing of the cipher case, the hearing was stopped due to the displeasure of PTI founder and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and the exchange of harsh sentences.
As the situation worsened, the special court judge opted for a temporary adjournment after which the hearing resumed.
Qureshi objected to the defense counsel appointed by the state during the cross-examination. PTI’s lawyer Salman Safdar noted that the Islamabad High Court had quashed the trial, yet the case was pending in this court for the third time.
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During the hearing on Saturday, Special Court Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain had decided to appoint a state lawyer to represent the two accused.
The move caused chaos in the court as the accused reacted angrily, prompting the special court judge to issue a warning.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi first snatched the case file from the state defense counsel and threw it away and shouted. Similarly, the former chairman of PTI used insulting language against the judge during the hearing in Adiala Jail.
According to the court decision, Malik Abdul Rahman and Hazrat Younis will cross-examine the PTI founder chairman and Qureshi as state counsel and prosecution witnesses respectively.
Earlier on Friday, FIA prosecutor Raja Rizwan Abbasi pleaded with a special court constituted under the Official Secrets Act to block the defense counsel’s right to cross-examine, saying the defense was prolonging the trial. Using delaying tactics for
He said that a witness had come from the United Arab Emirates to attend the court proceedings, but the defense counsel did not bother to come to the court.
