The special court has adjourned the hearing of the cipher case against former premier and PTI Chairman Imran Khan without any proceeding till November 21. Special court judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain is conducting the trial of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the cipher leaking case registered under the Official Secrets Act. The court proceedings of the case were not held on Friday as the Islamabad High Court on Thursday extended the stay order against the jail trial of the PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the cipher case.

The court had halted the proceedings of the trial court on Tuesday, seeking information about the "circumstances" that prompted the trial to be conducted in the high-security Adiala Jail. During hearing on Thursday, the court approved an extension in the stay order on the request of Imran Khan’s lawyer Salman Akram Raja until Monday, November 20.

Justice Miangul Hassan remarked that they would hear the appeal on Monday at 11:00 am and would conclude the case then. Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan objected to the admissibility of Imran Khan’s intra-court appeal against his jail trial in the US cipher case by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

 
Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)