The statements of four witnesses, including former foreign secretary Sohail Mahmood, were recorded on Monday in the cipher case.

Mahmood told the court that the copy of the cipher was not returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until his retirement.

The statement was recorded during the hearing of the cipher case against former prime minister Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, by Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain of the Special Official Secrets Act Court.

Former foreign secretary Mahmood, former interior secretary Yousuf Naseem Khokhar, and Islamabad Assistant Commissioner Awaid Irshad recorded their statements on Monday.

Mahmood said that he had retired in September 2022, and until then, the copy of the cipher had not been returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi objected to the intervention of the prosecutor during the recording of the statement. He said the written statement was before them, and the witness knew what to say.

The prosecution has no right to interfere during the recording of the witness’s statement, he added.

Prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi asked if he asked any misleading questions to the witness.

Qureshi replied that if the prosecution was balanced, would the high court have annulled the proceedings twice?

At this, Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain instructed Qureshi against saying such things, as it was inappropriate. He added that if the proceedings were going well, then let it happen.

On Shah Mahmood's objection, the court stopped the prosecutor from speaking during the statement. Further hearing of the case was adjourned till tomorrow.