ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday sought replies from the Law Ministry and other respondents on PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s plea against the hearing of cypher case in Attock Jail.
Yesterday, the special court, established to hear cases registered under Official Secrets Act, heard Cypher case against Imran Khan in Attock Jail.
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq took up the petition for hearing with objections while Advocate Sher Afzal Marwat appeared before the court as Imran’s counsel.
At the outset of the hearing, Marwat informed the IHC that two objections had been raised by the registrar office on the petition. He then explained that one of them was that “more than one request” had been made in the same petition. At this, the chief justice asked, “Why does it matter? “I can remove the objections [if] you present arguments on merit,” he added.
The petition filed a day after cypher case hearing was held in the office of the deputy superintendent Attock district jail, where he is currently incarcerated after his conviction in the Toshakhana graft case.
The cypher case pertains to a diplomatic document which reportedly went missing from the former premier’s possession. The PTI alleges that it contained a threat from the United States to oust Imran from power.
Justice Farooq then asked: “Was the court venue shifted?” The PTI lawyer answered that the court designated to hear cases filed under the Secrets Act was that of a magistrate. “Authorising an anti-terrorism court judge to hear cases filed under the Official Secrets Act is wrong,” Marwat asserted.
On Tuesday, hours after the IHC suspended Imran’s sentence in the Toshkhana case, the special court had directed the Attock jail authorities to keep him in “judicial lockup” and produce him the next day in connection with the cipher case.
The same night, a notification issued by the law ministry said the interior ministry had conveyed security concerns to it in a letter and that the Law and Justice Division had “no objection” to Imran’s trial in the cipher case being held at Attock jail.
Subsequently, a day ago, Judge Zulqarnain presided over an in-camera hearing of the cypher case against Imran at the jail, where he extended the ex-premier’s judicial remand till September 13.
Cypher case record handed over
The record of cypher case and the details of remand of PTI chief were handed over to the former prime minister’s legal team, lawyer Khalid Yousaf confirmed on Thursday.
The counsel of PTI premiere had moved the court for the record of cypher case and subsequently the court provided record to the legal team after accepting the plea.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) earlier rejected the transfer of cypher case hearing against the former prime minister to Attock jail. The party spokesperson said that PTI urged the Supreme Court to take notice of the human rights violation.
The hearing of cypher case against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief was shifted to the Attock jail. The notification issued by the law ministry stated that the ministry permitted the hearing of cypher case against the former prime minister in Attock jail.
