IHC Sets Imran’s Bail Plea Hearing for Monday in Cipher Case

“IHC Schedules Imran Khan’s Bail Plea Hearing in Cipher Case for Monday, September 25”

On Saturday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) announced the fixed date of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) chief and former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s bail application hearing in the missing cypher case, which is set for Monday (September 25).

The IHC registrar issued the list of cases to be heard next week, which includes Imran Khan’s bail plea. Chief Justice Aamer Farooq of the IHC will preside over this hearing, and the court has also sent a notice to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) requesting their arguments.

Additionally, the IHC had previously reserved its decision regarding the transfer request of the former prime minister from Attock jail to Adiala jail. However, the court has now scheduled a re-hearing for this case. Chief Justice Aamer will be presiding over this petition on September 25 as well. The court had initially reserved its verdict a few days ago after hearing arguments, but it is now slated for further clarification of specific legal points.

Earlier, a special court created to hear cases under the Official Secret Act had rejected Imran’s bail application.

Bail Application Details

In his bail application, the former Prime Minister, represented by his legal counsel Barrister Salman Safdar and Khalid Mehmood, has requested the court to grant him bail from his current detention at Attock Jail.

Imran Khan, the leader of PTI, contends that the prosecution has lodged a malicious and fabricated case against him. He argues that the special court designated to hear cases related to the Official Secrets Act has disregarded numerous irregularities and contradictions in the prosecution’s case.

A written judgment by Special Court Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain asserts that the missing cypher case is classified as a top-secret matter, and the prosecution possesses “indisputable evidence connecting Imran Khan and PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi to the case.”

The court has observed that there is “adequate incriminating evidence available on record linking the accused to the present case.”

Furthermore, the court’s assessment indicates that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the accused/petitioners are culpable of violating the provisions of sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, based on the content of the initial First Information Report (FIR).

“Furthermore, there are also substantial grounds for suspecting that the accused/petitioners have committed a non-bailable offense. The record, comprising various documents in color, is deemed adequate to warrant the denial of bail for both defendants,” stated a seven-page written order.

Cypher Incident Overview

On March 27, 2022, just before facing a vote of no-confidence, former Prime Minister Imran Khan revealed a piece of paper, allegedly a diplomatic cypher, that he had taken from his pocket and displayed it to a public gathering in Islamabad. He claimed it as evidence of an “international conspiracy” to undermine his government.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) initiated an investigation into the so-called “cypher-gate” on July 19 of the same year, following the announcement by the PML-N-led coalition government of an official inquiry against the former Prime Minister and his close associates for alleged violations of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, related to the unauthorized possession of a classified document.

The agency subsequently arrested Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who had served as the country’s foreign minister during the PTI’s rule, on August 19.

Imran Khan was interrogated by an FIA Counter Terrorism Wing team on August 26 inside Attock Jail in connection with the case. The agency officially announced Imran Khan’s arrest on August 29.