The special court has adjourned the hearing of the cipher case against PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi till October 9. The court did not provide the copies of the FIA challan to the accused today and they would be given the copies at the next hearing. The court rejected the request made by the lawyers of the accused who sought a halt to the trial proceedings on the grounds that the Islamabad High Court is currently hearing Imran’s bail application in the cipher case and that the high court has reserved its verdict on the plea challenging the in-camera proceedings of the case. However, the special court judge ruled that the Islamabad High Court had not passed any stay order, therefore his court could not stop the proceedings of the case. The FIA prosecutor requested for an in-camera hearing, beseeching the court to keep the public out of the case.

The judge, however, remarked that there is no public as the court is already holding an in-camera hearing. Earlier, the special court judge reached Adiala Jail to hold the trial of former premier Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the cipher leaking case. It was the first hearing of the cipher trial in the Adiala Jail after the transfer of PTI Chairman Imran Khan to this prison. Before that, the hearings of the case were held at Attock Jail. Special Court Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain heard the case. The PTI lawyers and FIA prosecutors also reached the jail.

Twelve PTI lawyers were allowed to enter the prison facility to attend the trial proceedings. It was expected that the PTI chairman and vice chairman Qureshi would be provided copies of the FIA challan which was submitted to the court last week. The PTI lawyers were supposed to file miscellaneous applications to stop the distribution of copies of challan to the accused. In case of distribution of challan copy, one-week time would be fixed for the indictment of Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Outside Adiala Jail, security arrangements were tight and security was on high alert.

The FIA has declared both Imran and Qureshi ‘principal accused’ in the case, requesting the court to hold a trial of the duo. The investigation agency invoked in the challan sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act which may lead to the death sentence, or two to 14 years’ imprisonment, if proved. Yesterday, the Ministry of Law and Justice said that it had no objection to holding former premier and PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s trial in the cipher case at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi where he has been incarcerated these days.

The ministry issued a notification in this regard after an inquiry was sent to it by the special judge regarding the venue of the trial. Earlier on Tuesday, Special Judge of Official Secrets Act Court Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain wrote a letter to the Ministry of Law and Justice seeking its opinion on whether the hearing on the cipher case tomorrow would be held in Adiala Jail or the judicial complex. “Is there any security concern to bring the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman to the court?” the text of the letter read. “The PTI chairman is an important personality and the head of a political party. His security will have to be taken into consideration by the court,” it added. “If there are no security concerns, the case will be heard in the judicial complex,” it stated.

 Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)