Jail trial in cipher case ends: Imran to be produced in special court on 29th

The Official Secrets Act Special Court Thursday summoned Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case

By Khalid Iqbal
November 24, 2023
PTI Chairman Imran Khan, flanked by partys senior leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, can be seen addressing a public gathering in this undated picture. — AFP/File
PTI Chairman Imran Khan, flanked by party's senior leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, can be seen addressing a public gathering in this undated picture. — AFP/File

ISLAMABAD: The Official Secrets Act Special Court Thursday summoned the PTI chief Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case.

Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain has directed the authorities concerned to present Imran and Qureshi in the court at the Federal Judicial Complex on November 28.

The judge passed the orders in the first hearing of the case held outside the Adiala Jail after the Islamabad High Court nullified the August 29 notification for a jail trial.

Qureshi’s counsel Ali Bukhari and Khalid Yousaf appeared before the court.

The judge sought a copy of the Islamabad High Court’s decision in the cipher case and remarked that the trial would now proceed from the position that prevailed before August 29. The judge has been conducting the trial in jail citing security concerns since Khan was indicted last month. The PTI chairman is currently in jail after his indictment by the special court on October 23.

The judge also told Qureshi’s lawyer Ali Bukhari that the IHC verdict was a big victory for his client.