The caretaker federal cabinet has given the green light for the jail trial of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case, as per Geo News.
The decision comes in response to security concerns, prompting the Ministry of Law to issue a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the trial on August 29, following requests from the Interior Ministry and Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain.
The Ministry of Law emphasized that the jail trial for the PTI chairman was deemed necessary due to security considerations.
This approval sets the stage for an intra-court appeal filed by Imran Khan against the trial, scheduled to be heard by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on November 14. The court has invited arguments from the attorney general.
Imran Khan, who was ousted from the prime minister’s office in April last year through a no-confidence motion, initially contested the jail trial through a petition in the IHC.
However, the court’s single bench, led by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, dismissed the appeal on October 16, citing no apparent malice in conducting the jail trial and advising Khan to address his concerns in the trial court.
The cipher case, invoking the Official Secrets Act 1923, was registered against Khan and Qureshi in August of this year by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), using Section 5 of the aforementioned law.
The case revolves around a missing diplomatic cable allegedly containing a threat from the United States to overthrow the PTI government, according to the former ruling party.
Both Imran Khan and Qureshi face allegations under the Official Secrets Act 1923 in the cipher case, related to a missing diplomatic cable, and are currently detained in Adiala jail.
The IHC had earlier suspended Imran Khan’s three-year sentence in the Toshakhana case on August 29.
