ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday fixed for hearing the post-arrest bail plea filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan in the cipher case on Monday (Sep 25) as he is currently languishing in the Punjab’s Attock jail.
The court will take up the petition on Monday as Chief Justice IHC, Justice Aamer Farooq will preside over the proceedings. The court has issued a notice to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to present arguments in the case.
PTI chairman was arrested in the Toshakhana case on August 5 and his detention was suspended by the IHC on August 29 but he remains incarcerated in the cipher case, bringing his days in jail to a total of 50 Saturday.
Imran Khan had approached the IHC after the special court — established to hear cases filed under the Official Secrets Act — rejected the ex-premier’s plea seeking the same. The cipher case pertains to a diplomatic document which allegedly went missing from Imran’s possession. The PTI alleges that it contained a threat from the US to oust Imran from power.
PTI Chief Imran Khan and party’s vice-president and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had been attending hearings in the case while PTI estranged leader Asad Umar’s and former principal secretary Azam Khan’s involvement is yet to be determined during the course of the investigation.
The cipher case
According to the FIR, a case was registered against former prime minister Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi under sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, read with Section 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
They have been accused of wrongful communication/use of official secret information and illegal retention of a cipher telegram with mala fide intention.
Furthermore, the numbered and accountable copy of the cipher sent to the PM Office was deliberately kept by Imran Khan with mala fide intention and was never returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to the FIR.
