Daily Times

Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan Saturday claimed that the”powerful people” behind the cipher case were being protected.

“I ordered to initiate an inquiry into the matter when I was the prime minister,” said the PTI supremo during the cipher case hearing at Adiala jail today.

The former premier added that he, along with his party leaders, are locked inside jails “like goats” while Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif was brought back to Pakistan. A special court, established under the Official Secrets Act 2023, held an open court hearing at Adiala jail, where Khan and the party’s Vice-Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi are incarcerated in the cipher case. Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain has been conducting the cipher trial since the registration of the case against the PTI leaders under the Official Secrets Act.

Khan and Qureshi were indicted on the charges of misusing a classified document by the special court on October 23. The federal cabinet on Thursday approved the summary to hold the jail trial of Khan and Qureshi in the cipher case after it was moved by the Ministry of Law and Justice.

The decision was taken in light of special court judge Zulqarnain’s order to hold the trial in jail due to “serious security risks” brought to light by the Adiala jail’s superintendent.

The court also stated that the proceedings can be attended by anyone who wishes to do so including the journalists. Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, Qureshi’s daughter Mehr Bano and son Zain Qureshi were also present in the court. However, local and international journalists, who were present outside the jail to cover the open court hearing, could not be allowed inside today.

Khan and Qureshi’s attendance was marked after which the proceedings were adjourned till December 4 (Monday).

During the hearing, Qureshi asked if their trial was being conducted under the Official Secret Act 1923 or 2023, adding that he never had any security concerns and had been travelling alone in his car. He said that the jail administration violated the orders to produce him and Khan before the court and failed to produce their records. “We are being tried in a bogus case. The president is also against the Official Secrets Act amendment law,” he stressed. Qureshi also requested that the president be summoned and he will tell whether he accepted this law or not.

The court told Qureshi that media representatives were at the jail for the hearing.

“You were not produced in court due to security concerns,” said the court, adding that Qureshi and Khan’s trial cannot be held separately.

The court told Qureshi that his trial will be held under Sections 9 and 5 of the Official Secrets Act, adding that the proceedings will be held on merit.

Khan’s lawyer Intazar Hussain Panjutha, speaking to the media persons outside Adiala jail, said that hearing was not in accordance with the open trial.

“The media representatives present in the jail said that they do not represent all the media. Today’s hearing violated the high court’s orders as Imran Khan’s lawyers did not have internal access,” said Panjutha.

He claimed that specific people were brought inside the jail in the name of the public, adding that the hearing was wrapped up when the media persons were allowed inside.

Meanwhile, Qureshi’s son Zain said that the security concerns were just an excuse to not produce his father before the court. “All local and international media representatives were present but they were not allowed inside the jail,” said Zain, adding that all the facts related to the cipher case should come before the public.