Court to now indict Imran, Qureshi in cypher case tomorrow

Court to now indict Imran, Qureshi in cypher case tomorrow

RAWALPINDI:

The special court hearing the cypher case against former prime minister Imran Khan and his then foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday put off their indictment in the case till tomorrow.

The court, however, wrapped up six different petitions filed by the defence counsel including one pertaining to the absence of media during the open trial being held in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail.

“I will talk to the jail authorities about this issue,” said Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain

During the hearing of the case on December 4, the court had permitted jail authorities to allow media personnel and participants to attend. However, PTI’s lawyer, Umair Niazi, in a media talk claimed that only three media personnel were allowed to attend the proceedings while 50 others were denied permission.

Ahead of the hearing today, Imran on Monday (December 11) moved the Islamabad High Court (IHC), challenging the decision of the trial court to distribute challan (charge-sheet copies) in the cypher case.

The petition, filed via Advocate Khalid Yusuf Chaudhry, prayed to the IHC to nullify the trial court’s December 4 ruling, citing discrepancies in line with Section 13(6) of the OSA.

On Dec 4, a special court established under the Official Secrests Act (OSA) ordered the indictment of the former PTI chairman and PTI leader Qureshi in the cypher case.

Read Aitzaz slams ‘persecution’ of Imran in cypher case

As per the challan papers, both Imran and Qureshi had been charged under sections 5 and 9 of the OSA.

The chargesheet, prepared under the aforementioned sections of the Official Secrets Act of 1923, holds severe penalties upon conviction, including death, life imprisonment, or a minimum sentence of 14 years behind bars.

Cypher case

On March 27, 2022, ahead of a vote of no-confidence that resulted in his ouster, former premier Imran had pulled out a piece of paper – allegedly the cypher – from his pocket and waved it at a public gathering in Islamabad, claiming it was evidence of an “international conspiracy” being hatched to topple his government.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) initiated its probe into the so-called “cypher-gate” on July 19, 2023, after the last PML-N-led coalition government announced an official inquiry against the former PM and his close associates for violating the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who had served as the country’s foreign minister during the PTI’s rule, was also arrested by the FIA on August 19. The agency arrested Imran on August 29.


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