Cipher case: Special court extends Imran’s judicial remand

Special Court extended on Wednesday Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Imran Khan’s judicial remand for 14 days in the cipher case, Aaj News reported.

Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain arrived at Attock Jail to conduct the hearing. Former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s judicial remand in the cipher case has also been extended till September 26.

Imran has been imprisoned since August 5 following his arrest in the Toshakhana case and is currently being held in Attock Jail.

During the hearing on Tuesday, Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamer Farooq heard Imran’s petition challenging the decision to conduct the trial in the cipher case at Attock Jail and reserved the judgement after hearing the arguments of both sides.

PTI chairman’s lawyer, Sher Afzal Marwat, read out the Law Ministry’s notification before the court and asked under which law and authority the Ministry of Law transferred the hearing of the case to Attock Jail.

He asked how the trial could be transferred from Islamabad to Punjab. He contended that transferring a trial to another province can legally be done only by the Supreme Court, not by the chief commissioner or the home secretary.

Later the same day, a notification issued by the law ministry stated that the hearing will be conducted in Attock Jail on Wednesday (today) due to “security issues.”

The notification stated that the Ministry of Law and Justice has permitted the hearing of cipher case against the former prime minister in Attock Jail.

The case in question is related to the “misuse” of alleged contents of a diplomatic cipher, cited by ex-premier Imran as proof of an attempt to remove his government.