On Tuesday, a Pakistani court postponed judgment on a petition filed by imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan challenging the hearing of the cipher case within Punjab province’s Attock prison.
The 70-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party chairman has been imprisoned since August 5 following his conviction in the Toshakhana corruption case. On August 29, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) stayed his sentence, although he remains in Attock prison in the cipher case. A special court in the case has prolonged his remand until September 13.
The cricketer-turned-politician is accused of violating the Official Secrets Act by leaking a classified diplomatic cable from Pakistan’s embassy in Washington.
During the hearing in the Islamabad High Court, Imran’s counsel Sher Afzal Marwat said that the change of site for the cipher case hearing was motivated by malice, according to The Express Tribune newspaper.
Marwat contended that because every trial of a civilian registered under the Official Secret Acts takes place in a special court, the norm should apply in Khan’s case as well.
He also questioned the law ministry’s ability to shift the case’s hearing to Attock Jail under what legislation and authority.
In his case, Additional Attorney General Mansoor Iqbal Dogal stated that the jail trial notification was just for one time and that the exemption rendered the PTI chief’s petition useless. The IHC deferred its judgement in the petition after hearing both parties.