A special court under the Official Secrets Act 2023 conducted its first hearing on the cipher case, ordering the presentation of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi at the Federal Judicial Complex on November 28.
The Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) decision to overturn the notification for a jail trial was initially ordered due to security concerns. Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain, overseeing the trial in jail, requested a copy of the IHC’s recent order.
The IHC, comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Riffat Imtiaz, nullified the notification for conducting Imran Khan’s jail trial, previously approved by the caretaker cabinet.
The decision responded to Khan’s intra-court appeal against the jail trial. The court emphasized that jail trials should only occur in exceptional circumstances and in a manner that meets open trial standards. Furthermore, the IHC confirmed the legality of the special court judge’s appointment.
The controversy, known as “Ciphergate,” originated when Imran Khan, then prime minister, displayed a cipher at a public rally, alleging a foreign conspiracy against his government. The cipher involved a conversation between the former Pakistan ambassador to the US and a US official.
Following Khan’s removal from office, audio leaks surfaced, leading to a federal cabinet decision to investigate the cipher’s contents. This led to Khan and Qureshi being charged under the Official Secrets Act 1923, with the case progressing through legal channels.
