Babar Awan, a lawyer for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, stated on Monday that Imran Khan, the leader of the party, wants the “US envoy and an ex-army general” called before the special court that is hearing the trial of the Cypher Case.
Imran stated, “US embassy representatives should also be called and took the name of a former army general,” according to Babar, who was speaking to the media.
In the course of today’s hearing, the PTI leaders Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi were indicted by the Special Court created by the Official Secrets Act in relation to the cypher case.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered the court to wrap up proceedings in one month, thus charges will be brought anew during the next hearing on December 12 in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, presided over by Judge Abdul Hasnat Zulqarnain.
The Official Secrets Act of 1923, Sections 5 and 9, is the legal basis for the trials of both party leaders.
Then-prime minister Imran took a piece of paper—possibly the classified cypher—out of his pocket and waved it at a public event in Islamabad on March 27, 2022, the year before a vote of no-confidence in the National Assembly that led to his removal. He claimed it was proof of a “international conspiracy” being hatched to overthrow his government.
Imran and former minister Qureshi were charged by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) with “wrongful use” of official secret information and unlawful preservation of the cypher telegram with malicious intent.
On August 19, the FIA detained Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the vice chairman of the PTI, who had previously held the position of foreign minister for the nation. Imran was detained by the CIA on August 29.
Although the former PTI chairman and his assistant received copies of the challan at today’s session, the charges would be brought in the following hearing.
Qureshi informed the judge during the prior hearing on December 4 that the president had not approved the changes the PML-N-led government had made to the Official Secrets Act, 1923 toward the conclusion of its tenure. In addition, he asked the court to call the president to testify in person over the Cypher case.
According to the directives of the IHC, the prior hearing was supposedly conducted as an open-court trial in which the public and members of the media were permitted to attend. Ten civilians were “planted” to attend the court session, but just three of the more nearly fifty journalists who applied were admitted inside, according to PTI’s legal representative
I am a dedicated student currently in my seventh semester, pursuing a degree in International Relations. Alongside my academic pursuits, I am actively engaged in the professional field as a content writer at the Rangeinn website.