Cypher Case: Pak FIA Summons Imran Khan for Questioning on August 1 | Exclusive Details

A day after questioning former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, the country’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Wednesday summoned him for August 1 over charges of jeopardising national security by exposing a controversial diplomatic communication commonly known as “cypher”. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief used a cable sent by the country’s embassy in Washington in March last year to blame the United States for orchestrating his ouster from power a month later.

CNN-News18 has exclusively accessed details of the summons issued to Imran Khan. Here are extracts from it:

1. The Joint Enquiry Team is conducting the subject Enquiry on the direction of the Federal Cabinet regarding the charges of prejudicing the national security and interest of the State by directly revealing, without proper authorization, the classified information by the former Prime Minister, Mr. lmran Khan, his political associates, and the then Secretary to the Prime Minister through Cypher telegram, its subsequent misuse, and unauthorised retention.
2. As per the information/ evidence available with the Joint Enquiry Team, you being the former Prime Minister of Pakistan is cognizant of facts pertaining to this probe. You have joined enquiry proceedings on 25-07-2023 and recorded your statement. On examination of your statement, available record and statements of others, there are some follow up questions/ issues which require to be explained in order to firm up findings of the JET.
3. Therefore, you are once again noticed to appear (in person), on Tuesday, 01 August 2023, at 12:00 hours, at FIA headquarters G-9/4, Islamabad without fail, before the Joint Enquiry Team and bring along all information/ documents (believed to be within your custody/ domain) with respect to the Cypher telegram.
4. You may be required to answer such questions as may be put to you, pertaining to the probe, truthfully and honestly. You are further requested to bring along any/ all-documentary evidence in support of your claim pertaining to the aforementioned matter.
5. A failure to comply with this legal notice may entail that you have nothing to say in your defence and ex-parte action will be initiated on the basis of evidence available on record.

Last week, Imran’s former principal secretary Azam Khan “recorded” a statement, terming the US cypher a “conspiracy” used by the ex-PM to “manipulate for creating a narrative against establishment and opposition”.

In response to the development, Imran termed Azam an “honest man” and said he would not accept the statement until he heard the bureaucrat say it himself.