Former foreign minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi was arrested from his home in Islamabad on Saturday evening, his party said.
He was arrested as part of investigations into the cipher sent by Pakistani Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan, conveying the harsh suggestions by American diplomat Donald Lu.
The arrest came shortly after he addressed a news conference at the Islamabad Press Club on developments about the party and reports of a deepening rift.
In a statement, the PTI termed his arrest as illegal and without any reasonable cause.
"Shah Mehmood Qureshi's arrest is due to the misuse of law. Belligerent political interference by the state is a step against basic human rights."
The statement further accused the interim government of walking in the footsteps of the outgoing government of the Pakistan Democratic Movement by promoting an agenda of lawlessness and fascism.
The party claimed there was no cause to arrest Shah Mehmood Qureshi while investigating the cipher issue.
"Shah Mehmood Qureshi has been fully cooperating with the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) Joint Investigation Team," the party stated, adding that Qureshi even formally appeared before the JIT on July 24.
The statement noted that the vice chairman's only fault was that he reposed faith in Imran Khan's leadership of the party and unequivocally stated that Imran Khan was the chairman of PTI, remains the chairman of PTI and will lead the party for as long as he is alive.
Moreover, in the news conference, Qureshi raised the treatment meted out to party leader Usman Dar and his family, apart from demanding that the electoral authorities ensure that general elections are held within the 90-day limit identified in the Constitution and as per the consensus in the party. He also presented the party's roadmap for legal and political opposition if the elections are pushed past the 90-day limit.
The party claimed that Shah Mehmood Qureshi's arrest aimed to create a leadership vacuum in the party since two of its top leaders are currently in prison, many others are in hiding while a string of stalwarts have abandoned it, and the remaining are also in jail.
"This is an attempt to sever the ties between the worker on the ground and the party leadership," the spokesperson's statement read.
It sought to remind the government that the party would keep operating based on the special decision-making and organizing mechanism identified by Imran Khan and that the party would strive to secure the release of its leaders.
The statement added that the party's legal team will immediately strive to secure Qureshi's release.