Hearing in Attock Jail
ISLAMABAD: On Wednesday, a special court extended the judicial remand of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and PTI vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case until September 26. As Khan’s 14-day remand came to an end, the special court resumed hearing in the Attock Jail. Judge Abual Hasnaat Zulqarnain arrived at the jail early on Wednesday.
The special court judge granted judicial remand of PTI leaders Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi for another 14 days.
Earlier, the Ministry of Law and Justice issued a notification permitting the hearing to take place at the Attock Jail at the court’s request. Security issues influenced the government to hold hearing in Attock Jail.
Imran Khan’s legal team, consisting of nine lawyers, also granted access to meet Imran Khan in the jail.
On Tuesday, the Islamabad High Court reserved judgment in a petition filed by Imran Khan challenging the hearing being conducted in the jail.
Imran Khan’s lawyer argued that only the Supreme Court has the authority to transfer a trial to another province, not through the orders of a chief commissioner.
Imran also applied for bail in the case, but the proceedings on September 7 concluded without a result as the judge was on leave.
Law Ministry says it has no objection to hearing in Attock Jail
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Ministry of Law and Justice announced its approval for conducting the trial of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in the cipher case under the Official Secrets Act at Attock jail.
The notification of the ministry stated,
“In light of rules and orders of [the] Lahore High Court, Lahore, Volume Ill, Instructions to Criminal Courts Chapter-l, Practice in trial of criminal cases Part A, General (3) read with section 352 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 and on the request of Judge, Special Court (Official Secrets Act, 1923), Islamabad, dated 12.09.2023, [The] Law & Justice Division has “No Objection” on conducting the trial of the accused (Mr. Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi), due to security concerns, in District Jail Attock under the Official Secrets Act, 1923 (Act No. XIX of 1923) by the said Judge on 13th September, 2023.”
Despite the Islamabad High Court (IHC) reserving its verdict on Khan’s petition challenging the Law Ministry’s notification to hold his trial in Attock jail, the ministry issued the notification.
Khan, the deposed prime minister, who is in judicial custody until September 13 in the cipher case, filed a plea in the IHC against the law ministry’s notification through his counsel Sher Afzal Marwat.
Khan has remained in prison since his August 5 conviction in the Toshakhana case for failing to properly declare gifts received while in office.
The IHC, overturning a lower court’s decision that would have jailed him for three years with an Rs100,000 fine and barred him from upcoming elections, has kept him incarcerated due to his judicial remand in the cipher case.
