Cypher case hearing to resume today

 A special court is set to resume hearings on the diplomatic cipher case today (Monday) at a courtroom inside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail. The accused in the case—former prime minister Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi—are likely to receive copies of the challan report.

The special court on Saturday, December 2, turned down Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s request to summon President Dr Arif Alvi to testify in the cypher case.

As the court, presided over by Judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain, resumed hearing on that day, Qureshi told the judge that the president had not given his assent to the amendments made to the Official Secrets Act, 1923 by the PML-N led government at the tail-end of its term.

The judge told Qureshi that there was no need to summon the president as the cypher case would be heard under Sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923 and the amendments made to the law would not apply to him or former PTI chairman Imran Khan.

He added that the proceedings of the case would be carried out on merit. The court later adjourned till December 4 (today).

Read Qureshi urges special court to summon president in cypher trial

In its written order for the December 2 hearing, the court stated that public and the media were present during the judicial proceedings held at a courtroom in Adiala Jail and Section 352 of the Criminal Procedure Code was enacted in full force. 

It said adequate time was given to Imran and Qureshi in the presence of the media and the public to express their views.

On March 27, 2022, ahead of a vote of no-confidence that resulted in his ouster, former premier Imran had pulled out a piece of paper – allegedly the cypher – from his pocket and waved it at a public gathering in Islamabad, claiming it was evidence of an “international conspiracy” being hatched to topple his government.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) initiated its probe into the so-called “cypher-gate” on July 19, 2023, after the last PML-N-led coalition government announced an official inquiry against the former PM and his close associates for violating the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who had served as the country’s foreign minister during the PTI’s rule, was arrested by the FIA on August 19. The agency arrested Imran on August 29.