The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ruled against the bail application of former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in the high-profile cypher case. Chief Justice IHC Aamer Farooq, who had previously reserved his decision on the bail plea, announced the verdict today, further intensifying the legal proceedings surrounding Imran Khan.
The court also dismissed a petition seeking to quash the cypher case, reinforcing the continuation of the trial. Imran Khan is currently detained in Adiala Jail on judicial remand in connection with the cypher case.
This development comes in the wake of a previous rejection by the IHC of Imran Khan’s request to halt the cypher case trial, which is being conducted by a special court formed under the Official Secrets Act (OSA). The court had reserved its ruling on his bail application at that time.
Imran Khan’s legal team, led by Salman Safdar, argued that they had received copies of the challan (charge sheet) on October 17, but the court indicted Imran on October 23 without providing the legally required seven-day notice. Furthermore, they contended that the cypher’s contents were not part of the challan, leaving them unaware of the specific charges against their client.
While the chief justice rejected Imran Khan’s plea to halt the trial, the court emphasized that the petitioner had the right to a transparent trial, addressing concerns related to the indictment process.
In a separate development, PTI’s legal team, including Sardar Latif Khosa, Umair Niazi, Gohar Ali, Naeem Haider Panjotha, and others, met with the PTI chairman for an hour at Adiala Jail to discuss the legal intricacies of his cases.
The next phase of the trial will involve recording statements of official witnesses against Imran Khan and his co-accused, Shah Mehmood Qureshi. The case will be presided over by Special Court Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain at Adiala Jail. The court has summoned 28 government witnesses, who will be presented by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Following their statements, the defense lawyers will have the opportunity to cross-examine them.
Stringent security measures have been implemented outside the jail, reflecting the high-profile nature of the case and the public interest it has garnered.
