Special Court Indicts
ISLAMABAD: The Special Court indicted PTI chairman Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the Cipher case today.
The court has summoned witnesses in this case on Oct 27.
Both, former PM Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi rejected the Cipher charges during the hearing today. The court conducted a hearing this morning in Adiala Jail.
The indictment of Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and his party’s Vice Chairman, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in the cipher case has been postponed.
A special court, established under the Official Secrets Act, adjourned the hearing until next week (Monday 23). The hearing took place at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, where the court provided copies of the charge sheets to Imran Khan and Qureshi. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) prepared the charge sheets against the PTI leaders.
The special court judge, Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain, who presided over the hearing, rescheduled the indictment for the next week because the accused lawyers had declined to accept the charge sheet copies during the previous hearing. Present at the courtroom during the hearing were the FIA special prosecutor, Shah Khawar, Khan, Qureshi, and their legal teams.
During the previous hearing on October 9, the court provided the accused with copies of the charge sheets submitted by the FIA against the PTI leaders, with the date of their indictment set for October 17 (today). The FIA special prosecutor stated, “The accused had refused to receive a copy of the charge sheet at the previous hearing.”
Once the charges are framed, the prosecution’s evidence is recorded, and the trial of the case commences. Subsequently, the court records the testimonies and statements of the accused.
Before the hearing, Umair Niazi, PTI chief’s focal person on legal affairs, spoke with journalists outside the Adiala jail. He mentioned that the charge sheet copies were not provided in the previous hearing and pointed out that the court had not granted the prosecution’s Section 14 plea. Niazi also argued that the proceedings in the jail should not be held in-camera, and media access should be permitted, which would be discussed on that day.
It is important to note that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had reserved its ruling on petitions filed by the PTI chief, seeking post-arrest bail and the quashing of the cipher case registered against him. Imran Khan was booked under the Official Secrets Act 1923 in the cipher case on August 18, following the invocation of Section 5 of the said law by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The case involved the disappearance of a diplomatic cable from Imran’s possession, allegedly containing a threat from the US to topple the PTI’s government.
Imran is currently on judicial remand in Adiala jail in connection with the cipher case. He was taken into custody on August 5, 2023, after being sentenced to three years in prison in the Toshakhana case. Initially held in Attock jail, he was subsequently transferred to Adiala jail. Notably, on August 29, the IHC suspended the sentence imposed on the PTI chairman in the Toshakhana case.
