Every encrypted document is a secret paper by law, the FIA ​​tells IHC

ISLAMABAD: Federal Investigation Agency Special Prosecutor Hamid Ali Shah has told the Islamabad High Court that any encrypted document is a secret document under the law.

The copies of the cipher are destroyed after saving the original soft copy of the cipher received via email, and not only the cipher but also its text must be protected. He said that if the ciphertext is known, its codes can be broken. The encrypted cipher was not intercepted at any time. The original soft copy of the figure is still available from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq noted that this is a criminal charge and the slightest doubt in the case will go in favor of the accused.

Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb were hearing the appeal against the conviction of PTI founder Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the cipher case.

CJ Aamer Farooq asked FIA prosecutor Hamid Ali Shah to define a cipher, asking him whether the cipher in question was a secret document or if every cipher was a secret document. The FIA ​​prosecutor told the court that any encrypted document is a secret document under the law.

When the FIA ​​prosecutor presented the book regarding encryption guidelines before the court, the Chief Justice asked whether this book was also a secret document.

The prosecutor said that it states that this book is for official use only and that it is secret. This book is published in the name of the Deputy Attorney General and will remain here until the court’s judgment is written.

He said that the person in whose name this book was published must declare every six months that the book is in his possession. He said that according to counsel for the appellants, some other persons have also not returned copies of the figure and among them there will be nine big names.

The Chief Justice said if the figure comes through email, there will be an attachment. The prosecutor said that the State Department’s system contains a soft master copy of the cipher and that each country’s Foreign Ministry has its own code. This grade is a grade two classified document.

Judge Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb asked whether a witness said anything about the text of the cipher. The prosecutor responded that no one said anything specifically about that. The CJ asks whether the numerical copy cannot also be provided to the investigating officer. Judge Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb noted that it is one thing to keep this document secret, but the whole case revolves around this document.

The court noted that there was a mechanism in place to produce documents to the court, and that the law states that you can vacate the court for that purpose, but even there it was not considered appropriate to produce this document.

Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb noted that it is a criminal case and the benefit of doubt will go to the appellants. The Chief Justice said that it is obviously a criminal case and even the slightest benefit of doubt will go to the accused, following which the hearing was adjourned to April 23.