Cipher case: Pakistan’s spl court allows in-camera trial of Imran Khan, his aide

Islamabad, Dec 14: A special court in Pakistan on Thursday accepted the country’s top investigative agency’s plea seeking an in-camera trial of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood in the cipher case involving the alleged leaking of state secrets and violation of laws.
The special court on Wednesday once again indicted Khan, 71, and Qureshi, 67, in the cipher case, which is based on the allegation that a secret diplomatic document sent by the Pakistan embassy in March last year was mishandled by them and they violated the laws of the country.
On Thursday, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) urged Special Court Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqar¬nain to allow the trial to be held in-camera, which he accepted, despite ruling last month that the proceedings would continue at the Adiala Jail but in an open court.
After hearing arguments, the judge said the next hearing would be heard in-camera, which he adjourned until Friday. He further ruled that family members of the suspects would be allowed to attend the hearing. The FIA registered the cipher case on August 15 on the charges of violating the secret laws of the country. The FIA on September 30 filed the charge sheet against Khan and Qureshi who signed its copies. The FIA invoked in the charge sheet sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act which may lead to a death sentence, or two to 14 years’ imprisonment if convicted. Khan and Qureshi were initially indicted in the case on October 23. Both had pleaded not guilty.
The special court judge while hearing the case on December 4 had declared that fresh indictment was mandatory in the light of the Islamabad High Court judgment which declared all proceedings illegal after ruling against the jail trial on procedural grounds.
In a related development, meanwhile, Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s lawyer and a leader from his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party was arrested on Thursday outside the Lahore High Court where he was attending the lawyers’ strike against the Supreme Court’s decision to allow military courts to try civilians allegedly involved in the May 9 violence.
Lawyer Sher Afzal Marwat, who is also the senior vice president of Khan’s PTI, was arrested under a public order ordinance, Punjab police said. (PTI)