ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart and former interior minister Rana Sanaullah has called for a probe to determine the authenticity of a purported Pakistani state document reproduced by a US media outlet
Sanaullah took to Twitter to state that if Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and former prime minister Imran Khan is found guilty of leaking the notorious diplomatic cable he should be tried under the Official Secrets Act, which has recently been amended.
“Though there is nothing new in this story, the investigation needs to held to establish the authenticity of the information or source document. Potentially, it is a very sinister, treacherous, and seditious act,” wrote Sanaullah.
Though there is nothing new in this story, the investigation needs to held to establish the authenticity of the information or source document. Potentially, it is a very sinister, treacherous, and seditious act.
“It should not be forgotten that Imran Khan Niazi had a copy of the cypher, which he has not returned and has accepted (on record) that he misplaced or lost it. If proven guilty, Khan should be tried under the Official Secret Act,” he added.
It should not be forgotten that Imran Khan Niazi had a copy of the cypher, which he has not returned and has accepted (on record) that he misplaced or lost it. If proven guilty, Khan should be tried under the Official Secret Act.
The cypher has been a source of controversy in Pakistan for months with Imran claiming that his ouster through a vote of no confidence was part of a foreign conspiracy and the Pakistan Democratic Movement allied parties repeatedly denying this claim.
The United States has also denied its involvement in Pakistan’s political affairs and Imran has since taken back his allegations against Washington, choosing to level blame of the alleged conspiracy onto the PML-N-led PDM government and former chief of army staff.
Last month, a document was circulated on social media containing an alleged statement by Imran’s former aide Azam Khan, which claimed that Imran used the cypher to build a false narrative to serve his political purpose.
The same was later touted by Sanaullah as sufficient evidence for legal proceedings against the former premier and then foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi for allegedly making a state document public.
The Federal Investigation Agency is currently probing the matter and has questioned PTI leaders Qureshi and Asad Umar in this regard.
Meanwhile, the PTI chief was arrested on August 5, 2023 for the second time in three months after a district and sessions court in Islamabad convicted him in the Toshakhana case and sentenced him to three years in prison.
Neither the PTI chief nor his legal representatives were in the courtroom when the verdict was issued.