ISLAMABAD: The caretaker federal cabinet on Monday approved the prison trial of Pakistan Justice Movement (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Vice Chairman Shah Mahmoud Qureshi.
The cabinet approved a summary of the law ministry regarding the case of the former prime minister and foreign minister in Adiala prison due to security concerns.
In its summary, The ministry wrote that it had issued a certificate of objection (NOC) for the prison trial on August 29, which was requested by the Interior Ministry and Judge Abul Hassanat Zulqarnin Was.
“The PTI chairman was requested to hear the prison case keeping in view the security concerns,” the summary said.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will hear the intra-court appeal filed by Khan against the prison case on November 14 (tomorrow). The court has sought arguments from the attorney general.
The ousted prime minister —, who was removed from office in April last year after a no-confidence motion — transferred the IHC against a prison trial The single bench had rejected on October 16.
A single bench headed by IHC Chief Justice Amir Farouk did not declare any clear dishonesty behind Khan’s prison trial in the cipher case, The court’s decision read this and instructed him to approach the trial court if reservations remain.
Khan later filed an intra-court appeal against the decision of the single bench.
In August this year، Khan and Qureshi were prosecuted in a cipher case under the Official Secrets Act, 1923, when the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) requested Section 5 of the said Act Was.
The diplomatic cable allegedly disappeared from Imran’s possession. According to the former ruling party, the cable threatened to overthrow the PTI government by the United States.
Imran and Qureshi are currently in Adiala prison in the cipher case.
The former prime minister was detained on August 5, 2023, after being sentenced to three years in prison in the Toshanh case. He was initially held in Attock Prison but later transferred to Adiala Prison.
It is noteworthy that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on August 29 suspended the sentence handed down to the chairman of PTI in the Tosha Khana case.
