The Islamabad High Court (IHC) halts the proceeding on the ongoing cipher trial till January 11, 2024.
The defence had urged the court to note the discrepancy between the complaint filed and the First Information Report (FIR) registered, leading to the initiation of court proceedings. Subsequently, the court notified the federation regarding the appeal against the indictment.
Justice Miangul Aurangzeb, addressing the defence’s plea, emphasized the importance of submitting necessary trial documents in the next hearing. The justice raised critical questions about the nature of the trial, particularly querying why an in-camera trial was being conducted despite the court’s order for an open trial.
The court expressed concerns over the brief justification provided for the in-camera proceedings. It clarified the expectations of an open trial, countering the Attorney General’s assertion that media access equated to an open trial.
Proceedings and Assurance from the Attorney General
During the hearing, the Attorney General noted that the cross-examined individuals were involved with coding and decoding the cipher. The court highlighted the significance of conducting a strong case properly to avoid jeopardizing it. Prosecutor Raja Rizwan Abbasi argued that the plea against the in-camera trial was non-maintainable and offered to assist the court.
In response to the court’s concerns, the Attorney General assured that in-camera cross-examination would be limited to only four witnesses linked to the Foreign Office’s cipher security. With this clarification, the bench decided to adjourn the plea hearing against the case’s in-camera hearing until January 11.
