Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s bail plea was rejected by the Islamabad High Court on Friday in a case involving the leaking of state secrets.

The court also turned down his petition to cancel the FIR in the cipher case.

The charges relate to the alleged unauthorized communication of classified information, with potentially severe penalties of death or up to 14 years imprisonment.

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Imran Khan’s defense team argued that the case didn’t align with specific sections of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and that as a former prime minister, he had constitutional immunity from prosecution.

However, the prosecution contended that the act applied to all citizens and that his actions had jeopardized national security.

The court emphasized that the disclosure of the classified document during a political gathering was not within the scope of his duties as prime minister.

It also noted that only the country’s president and governors possess constitutional immunity while in office, not the prime minister.

The rejection of Imran Khan’s bail request was due to the seriousness of the allegations and the potential penalties involved.

Furthermore, concerns were raised about the contested cipher copy remaining in his possession.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan has expressed fears for his safety, stating concerns that there might be another attempt on his life while he is in jail.

Police open probe on May 9 events

An official inquiry into the events of May 9 has been opened by police in three districts of Punjab province against Imran Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the deputy chairman of the party.

The police teams from Kasur and Faisalabad asked specific questions during the initial investigation, but the PTI leaders chose not to answer them.

Teams from Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, and Kasur police have commenced their interrogations of Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi within Adiala Jail.

Permission for these interrogations was granted by a court established under the Official Secrets Act.

The police team from Rawalpindi is expected to return to Adiala Jail in the coming days to interrogate Shah Mehmood Qureshi and the former prime minister.

Meanwhile, the teams from Faisalabad and Kasur have completed their preliminary investigations, according to jail sources.

The jail administration has made special arrangements to make these investigations easier.

As part of ongoing attempts to determine what happened on May 9 and the roles that different people played in those occurrences, investigations are being conducted.