Cipher case: Imran Khan Qureshi’s trial under the Official Secrets Act is underway in a special court
On Tuesday, the trial of Imran Khan, the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the vice-chairman, began in a special court established under the Official Secrets Act.
Despite filing a petition under CrPC 265-D to stop the indictment, the pair was indicted in the cipher case on October 23. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had booked them for violating the secret law by misusing and misplacing the diplomatic cable, which was based on conversations between the US diplomat and Pakistan’s envoy to Washington.
The former prime minister and the vice chairman were found guilty in the case, according to the FIA’s complaint, and they asked the court to try and punish them.
Additionally, according to the investigating agency, Khan possessed a copy of the encryption but failed to return it.
The incident began on March 27, 2022, when Imran flashed a letter in front of the crowd during a public event. He claimed that the letter was a cipher from a foreign country that had plotted with his political adversaries to topple the government.
Nine witnesses were present in court today, but sources told Geo News that they were unable to record their testimony in the cipher case during the session.
The PTI legal team, meanwhile, filed four applications, one of which was that the names of the witnesses be disclosed before to each hearing.
Qureshi filed two applications: one asking for the case to be adjourned without a hearing and the second asking for the adjournment to be based on a bail application that was submitted to the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
In response to PTI’s request for the whole challan, Judge Zulqarnain permitted the defence team to see the challan materials but prohibited them from making copies or taking images of them.
The matter will not proceed until November 7. At the following session, the court will formally record the witness statements.
The PTI chairman’s request for the IHC to stop the proceedings against him in the cipher case was denied last week.
The special court was instructed by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq to guarantee a “fair trial” for the former prime minister.
The former prime minister’s requests for bail and the revocation of the first information report (FIR) in the cipher case were also denied by the IHC on Friday.
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