Islamabad: The Federal Investigation Agency has established a joint investigation team against former Prime Minister Imran Khan on the recommendation of Pakistan's federal cabinet for "prejudicing" national security and the interests of the state by disclosing official secrets in what has come to be known as the "cipher case," which has gained widespread notoriety.

The story revolves around purported diplomatic communications between Washington and Islamabad, which according to Khan were a part of a US plot to overthrow his government. Washington has vehemently denied participating in any such plot. Khan was removed from office in April of last year following a no-confidence vote in the parliament.

Imran Khan, his political allies, and the then-secretary to the prime minister were accused of directly disclosing, without proper authorization, classified information through a cipher telegram, its subsequent misuse, and its unauthorized retention, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) stated in a notice asking Khan to appear for investigation on July 25.

Also Read: Pakistan Puts Food Security First, Supports Black Sea Grain Deal

Khan was asked to provide evidence to support his claims, and he was warned that failure to do so could result in legal action. Khan has previously disobeyed two notices to appear before the agency.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told reporters on Tuesday that the decision to investigate Khan in the "cipher case" was made after the ex-premier's former principal secretary Azam Khan reportedly recorded a court statement on Wednesday alleging that Khan used a US diplomatic encrypted letter in March 2022 to further his political objectives.

Also Read: US sanctions have been updated to target Russian supplies used in the Ukraine war

Sanaullah referred to an incident in which the former cricket star turned politician addressed a crowd of supporters while waving the relevant document, claiming it was "proof" that he had been threatened and that his removal was the result of a plot involving his rivals and the US. The military of Pakistan, the United States, and Sharif's administration have all vehemently denied any plots against Khan.

According to Azam Khan, a former secretary of Imran Khan and one of many of his supporters who have deserted him since his ouster, the document that Khan waved was apparently a diplomatic correspondence between Asad Majeed, Pakistan's then-ambassador to the United States, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad. 

The cipher document's contents have not been made available to the general public. According to a statement Azam Khan reportedly made in court earlier on Wednesday, the document related to Khan's trip to Moscow in February 2021, which also happened to be the same month that Russia invaded Ukraine.

The 70-year-old former cricket star who is now a politician claims that after his trip to Moscow, Washington got involved in his removal. 

Sanaullah claimed that Azam Khan had also testified that when asked to return a copy of the letter, Khan claimed to have lost it.

The interior minister stated, "It is a crime to expose an official secret," and added that the state would be accusing Khan in court.

"I don't believe he misplaced the copy. And he still has it. It needs to be taken back from him. 

According to Khan, his former secretary could not testify against him. After a court appearance in another case, he told reporters, "I will not accept it until I hear it from him directly.

In a tweet on Wednesday night, Khan stated, "This current assortment of incompetent crooks have once again shot themselves in the foot in their feverish attempts to implicate me in any case just to get me disqualified and jailed. They have given me the chance to properly expose the Cypher drama as a whole.

Also Read: UN Chief: New Era of Global Competition Has Begun

"Tomorrow I will share the uncensored details of how this conspiracy unfolded to overthrow a govt which had the best economic performance in the last 17 years," Khan continued.

Khan has been accused of numerous offenses since his ouster, including graft, murder, and sedition. The secrecy charge is the most recent of these. According to Khan, the military and the government are preparing a scheme to imprison him and dissolve his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Both contest the accusation.