Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawyer Babar Awan revealed on Monday that former Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed the desire to have an “ex-army general and a US envoy” summoned by the special court overseeing the cipher case. Awan stated that Imran made these comments during the proceedings at Adiala Jail, where he is currently detained.
Although the PTI lawyer did not explicitly name the ex-military officer, media reports suggest that Imran Khan referred to retired General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the former army chief.
The cipher case revolves around a diplomatic document that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) alleges was not returned by Imran Khan. The PTI contends that the document contained a threat from the United States to remove Imran as the Prime Minister.
Imran Khan and ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, both in custody, were initially indicted on October 23. After a legal challenge led to the scrapping of the proceedings, a fresh trial began at Adiala Jail, with the special court recently ruling to continue in an open court setting.
In a recent development, the special court decided that Imran Khan and Qureshi would face indictment once again on December 12. The court session, held at Adiala Jail, saw family members, lawyers, and media representatives in attendance, though some media access issues were reported.
During the hearing, Qureshi urged the court to summon President Dr. Arif Alvi to testify regarding changes to the Official Secrets Act, 1923. The court ruled that the indictment of Imran and Qureshi would proceed next month.
In a post-hearing media talk, PTI’s Babar Awan asserted the party’s readiness for elections, claiming that no other party was as prepared. Awan dismissed the case as an attempt to hinder Imran and PTI’s participation in upcoming polls. He called for allowing foreign media, international observers, and bloggers to attend the trial, citing its “international dimension.”
