ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court granted post-arrest bail to former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case.
A bench headed by interim Chief Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, accompanied by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah, presided over the hearing.
Following the Islamabad High Court’s declaration of their previous jail trial as null, both PTI leaders were re-indicted in the cipher case under the Official Secrets Act 2023 on December 13. They pleaded not guilty to allegations of misusing diplomatic cables for political gain.
During today’s proceedings, the top court addressed a petition challenging Khan and Qureshi’s October 23 indictment.
Justice Masood noted that the indictment in question had already been invalidated by the IHC on November 21. Consequently, the October 23 indictments were also nullified, prompting a fresh trial.
Emphasizing that the new indictment would proceed unaffected by prior proceedings, Justice Masood advised Khan’s counsel to challenge any objections to the fresh indictment in the high court.
However, Khan’s lawyer requested the court to await the IHC’s decision regarding the in-camera trial in the cipher case today.
Meanwhile, another counsel for Khan, Barrister Salman Safdar, mentioned amendments made to the petitions, seeking the court to treat them as fresh filings. As a result, the court adjourned the hearing on the plea against the indictment while continuing the discussion on the bail pleas.
