ISLAMABAD: The caretaker federal cabinet on Monday approved the jail trial of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case.
The cabinet gave its approval to the summary by the Ministry of Law regarding the ex-prime minister and foreign minister’s trial in the Adiala jail due to security concerns.
In its summary, the ministry wrote that it had issued a no-objection certificate for the jail trial on 29 August, which was requested by the Interior Ministry and Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain.
The summary said that the jail trial was requested for the PTI chief, keeping in view the security concerns.
IHC to Hear of Imran Khan’s Intra-court Appeal
The Islamabad High Court will hear the intra-court appeal submitted by the PTI chairman against the jail trial on 13 November (Tuesday).
Imran Khan, who was ousted from office following a no-confidence motion in April 2022, had moved IHC against the jail trial, which was rejected by the court’s single bench on 16 October.
The single bench, led by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, announced no apparent malice behind conducting Imran Khan’s jail trial in the cipher case; the court’s ruling read and directed him to approach the trial court if reservations persist.
Later, Imran Khan filed an intra-court appeal against the single bench’s verdict.
In August, Imran Khan and Qureshi were booked under the Official Secrets Act 1923 in the cipher case after the Federal Investigation Agency invoked Section 5 of the said law.
The diplomatic cable reportedly went missing from Imran Khan’s possession. The former ruling party accuses that the cable contained a threat from the US to topple the Imran Khan-led PTI government.
The special court has indicted Imran Khan and Qureshi and are currently imprisoned in Adiala jail.
