Vice Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-eInsaf (PTI) party, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, was detained and arrested Saturday by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Qureshi was arrested on charges of exposing a letter last year claiming that former Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted from power by the US.
At a press conference on Saturday, Qureshi voiced his and his party’s trust in Khan’s leadership, and also stated he would challenge any delay to the country’s election in the courts. This election is supposed to be held within a 90 day period after Parliament is dissolved, but political and constitutional uncertainties suggest it could be delayed. Hours after speaking at this conference, PTI announced Quereshi had been arrested at his home by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) .
The FIA first information report (FIR) on Qureshi’s arrest alleged that Khan and Qureshi “are involved in communication of information contained in secret classified document . . . to the unauthorised persons . . . to achieve their ulterior motives and personal gains in a manner prejudicial to the interests of state security.” It claimed the PTI leaders held a secret meeting at Bani Gala on 28 March 2022 to discuss how to use these classified documents. It stated that these actions “benefited the interest of foreign powers and caused loss to the state of Pakistan.” Qureshi is now under investigation for the following: “wrongful communication/use of official secret information and illegal retention of a cypher telegram with malafide intention.”
Qureshi has been vocal about his support of Khan, previously condemning the “unspeakable conditions” Khan has allegedly been subjected to while imprisoned. In a statement released on social media, Secretary General Tehreek-e-Insaf Umar Ayub Khan condemned the arrest on behalf of PTI. According to the party, Qureshi has reportedly been taken to the FIA headquarters for questioning.
The arrest follows shortly after Imran Khan was sentenced to three years imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 PKR in an Islamabad trial court. He was found guilty of making false declarations about his assets to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and was disqualified from running for public office for five years as a result. His subsequent appeal to Pakistan’s Islamabad High Court was rejected on Wednesday.
