Islamabad [Pakistan], July 20 : Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Thursday said that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) might arrest Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan if he does not cooperate with their probe into the cipher, Pakistan-based Dawn reported.
Rana Sanaullah's statement comes a day after former Pakistan PM Imran Khan's ex-principal secretary in an alleged confession accused PTI chairman of using a cipher from Pakistan’s mission in the US to gain political mileage and build an "anti-establishment narrative" on the back of the "confidential" document, Dawn reported.
Sanaullah shared an update on the FIA investigation and issued a reminder to Imran Khan to be prepared to face the law. He said that FIA will make recommendations based on evidence regarding those who are complicit, according to Dawn.
Taking to his official Twitter handle, Rana Sanaullah stated, "The FIA has summoned the PTI chairman in the cipher investigation. If he does not cooperate during the inquiry stage, he could face possible arrest. Following the investigation, the FIA will make recommendations based on evidence regarding those who are complicit and against whom criminal cases should be filed."
On Wednesday, Sanaullah held a press conference to lend credence to the confessional statement circulating on social media. After his press conference, the FIA issued a notice to PTI chairman Imran Khan, asking him to appear before the bureau on July 25 in connection with the probe related to cipher, the report said.
Azam Khan, who had been missing since last month, resurfaced after a letter attributed to him regarding PTI chairman regarding his statement against Imran Khan emerged, Dawn reported. According to Khan's lawyer, he has returned home. However, his lawyer said that his client was "not in a condition" to make a statement on the remarks attributed to him.
On June 15, Azam went missing and Islamabad police lodged a case regarding his kidnapping. Meanwhile, Imran Khan said, "Azam Khan is an honest man; until I hear [this] from him myself, I will not believe it." He made the remarks during the court appearance on Wednesday.
According to the statement, Imran Khan was allegedly “euphoric” after seeing the cipher and decided to make use of it in an “anti-establishment narrative” on the back of a ‘blunder’ committed by the US, Dawn reported.
According to the alleged confession, "The cipher copy was retained by Imran Khan and the next day (March 10) when he asked for it, Imran Khan replied that he has misplaced it," the report said.
After the statement became public, Rana Sanaullah had called the narrative behind the cipher "fabricated." He accused Imran Khan of committing a crime and called former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi an “abettor”.
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