Pakistan: Islamabad Court halts Imran Khan's trial in cypher case till January 11

Islamabad High Court Justice Miangul Hassan issued the order on the PTI founder's appeal, where he challenged his indictment, proceedings, and gag order in the cipher case issued by the special court established under the Official Secrets Act.

Earlier, during the hearing of the case, Justice Aurangzeb rejected Imran Khan's plea to grant a stay on the trial, Geo News reported. The IHC issued notice to the federation and asked Khan's counsel to present all necessary documents connected to the cypher trial at the next hearing.

Imran Khan's lawyer highlighted the alleged irregularities in the cypher case and said that a first information report (FIR) was registered before the filing of a complaint. The judge asked the PTI founder's counsel what the point of the petition was.

In response, the lawyer said, "The point is that the legal procedure was not completed before the indictment." He said that a legally authorised official can register a complaint directly in court, according to Geo News report.

During the court hearing, the lawyer requested the IHC judge to ask the trial to carry out the hearing of the case after five or six days, and "the court can complete the trial in the meantime."

PTI lawyer said the cypher trial is being carried out on a daily basis. Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Prosecutor Raja Rizwan Abbasi received the notice in the courtroom.

For the hearing, Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan appeared in court and said that the statements of 25 witnesses have been recorded in the cypher trial. PTI lawyer Salman Akram Raja virtually appeared in the court hearing.

Judge Aurangzeb said, "I can't ignore the court's previous proceedings regarding the cypher case. I am concerned about the way the cypher trial is being conducted," Geo News reported.

Raising concerns over the in-camera trial, the IHC judge observed that the special court judge should have ordered carrying out an open trial on every hearing of the case. The AGP said the media is permitted to cover the proceedings of the trial.

The judge said that the cypher trial was being carried out in haste and called the trial the first of its kind. The court said that it has to be seen whether the right to a fair trial under Article 10-A is granted in such cases or not, Geo News reported.

The IHC judge noted that the Supreme Court of Pakistan said there was not enough material before them to not grant them bail. On December 22, the apex court granted post-arrest bail to PTI founder Imran Khan and PTI vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cypher case.

Earlier on December 13, the special court indicted Khan and Qureshi in the cypher case. The special court's decision came after the IHC called their jail trial null and void. The two leaders have pleaded not guilty to their involvement in the offence related to the alleged misuse of diplomatic cables for political purposes. (ANI)