On Monday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) extended the stay against the jail trial of the former prime minister in the cipher case until November 21.
The chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), is currently held in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi on judicial remand.
A bench consisting of Justice Gul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat granted the extension on the request of Imran Khan’s lawyer, Salman Akram Raja. During the hearing, Justice Aurangzeb questioned the special court judge’s letter requesting the trial to be conducted in jail and inquired about the security concerns mentioned.
The IHC judge expressed concerns that the notifications issued by the federal government for the jail trial appeared to be prima facie against high court rules. He emphasized the need to address numerous questions regarding the trial and requested the notification of the appointment of the special court judge.
Additionally, the court requested reports on the security threats that form the basis for conducting the trial in jail.
The cipher case originated with an FIR registered on August 15 under the Official Secrets Act, prompted by a complaint from the Home Secretary.
The report nominated former prime minister Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, with additional mentions of former principal secretary Azam Khan and former planning minister Asad Umar.
The FIR alleged distortion of diplomatic cipher facts, launching a conspiracy to misuse cipher contents for malicious purposes, and endangering state interests by the former premier and top diplomat.
