Cyphergate: Qureshi, Asad appear before FIA

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) questioned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi and former PTI secretary general Asad Umar for nearly two hours on Monday as it probes the controversial US cypher.

Qureshi appeared before an eight-member team headed by FIA Islamabad Zone Director Rana Abdul Jabbar after it had summoned him — as he is one of the central characters in the cypher saga due to his position as the foreign minister during PTI’s tenure.

Officers from different FIA wings and one grade-19 officer each from three different intelligence institutions were also present during the PTI vice chairman’s interrogation.

Former PTI secretary general Asad Umar also appeared before the FIA team. The investigation into the cypher picked pace after the Lahore High Court withdrew the stay order on summons to the ex-premier, and a day after it, Khan’s then-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”.

The PTI vice chairman, after the grilling, told journalists during a media talk that the controversial US cypher was a “reality” and that the National Security Committee (NSC) — the country’s top security apparatus — had accepted it.

Qureshi told journalists that he was interrogated for around two hours, during which he answered the questions “with honesty” and presented his side of the story.

“I have said this before: cypher is a reality and was a reality. Serious people, not part of my party, claimed it was a political drama,” Qureshi, a close aide of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, said.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan has also been summoned on July 25 (tomorrow).

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