PTI counsels decry cypher case indictment procedure

Imran, Qureshi's lawyers say process 'lacked transparency'; to again challenge indictment in court

RAWALPINDI:

Lawyers representing ex-premier Imran Khan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi n the cypher case decried on Wednesday the indictment procedure adopted in the case.

Addressing the media outside the Adiala jail following the indictment proceedings, Imran's lawyer Salman Safdar and Qureshi's counsel Barrister Taimur Malik said the indictment was not done before us, nor were the accused made to sign the charge-sheet.

PTI’s lawyer informed the media that they will be challenging the indictment process in the court as the hearing "lacked transparency" and was carried "impulsively".

The counsels further contended that it was because of the same "hasty" decisions that the case's proceedings were declared unconstitutional before by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

They said the PTI will stage a strong protest tomorrow, accusing the prosecutors of wrongly stating that the PTI leaders have been indicted.

"No procedure related to indictment was carried out in court today," Safdar reiterated.

Furthermore, senior lawyers Sardari Latif Khosa, Aitzaz Ahsan and Salman Akram Raja also separately addressed the media, and denounced not being allowed to attend the jail trial.

Ahsan also condemned presenting PTI leader Qureshi in handcuffs.

Khosa maintained that the media personnel should be allowed inside the courtroom, alleging that journalists are locked in a glass room 50 feet away during the hearing. At this, Raja interjected to add that every person had the right to hear the case.

Read IHC declares jail trial in cypher case illegal

Lawyer Raja claimed that specific people were being presented as public and made to attend the hearing, terming the trial "unconstitutional, illegal and a sham".

Lawyer Khosa also questioned why the cypher case trial was being conducted in such a hurry.

FIA against public attendance

Separately, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) filed another plea seeking the cypher case proceedings to be held without the presence of the public.

The investigative agency said the case was ‘sensitive’, and maintained that the public cannot and will not be allowed to sit during the hearing.

Cypher Case

The case originated from Imran's public display of a paper during a rally in Islamabad on March 27, 2022, claiming it as evidence of an "international conspiracy" before a vote of no-confidence led to his government's ouster.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) initiated its probe into the so-called “cypher-gate” on July 19, 2023, after the previous coalition government announced an official inquiry against Imran and his close associates for violating the OSA.

Imran was arrested on August 5, following his conviction in the Toshakhana case by a local court of Islamabad. Later, he was also arrested in the cypher case on August 29.

As per the challan papers, both Imran and Qureshi, the former foreign minister, were charged under sections 5 and 9 of the OSA. These provisions entail the possibility of the death penalty or life imprisonment.

Previously, the cypher trial had started inside the Adiala jail but an IHC division bench later annulled all those proceedings, ordering a fresh open court trial.