Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) in Pakistan has ordered to transfer Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan to Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail from the Attock district Jail in Punjab Province, Dawn News reported on Monday.
According to Dawn News, the Islamabad High Court had asked the Adiala Jail Superintendent to receive Imran but he was taken to Attock Jail. Subsequently, the former Pakistan PM filed a petition seeking transfer from Attock Jail to a better-class facility in Adiala Jail.
The Dawn news reported that IHC Justice Farooq had reserved the verdict on Imran Kha’s transfer application, claiming he would “issue an appropriate order” on it.
A written verdict of the court is yet to be issued in the case but during the hearing, the IHC Judge said, “Shift the PTI chairman to Adiala jail”. He also sought a response from AAG Dogal on the matter.
Meanwhile, speaking to the media outside the IHC, Marwat said they had “finally been granted justice from the IHC to the extent of transfer of Khan sahib from the Attock jail to Adiala jail”, adding that it was a “little bit of justice” but he was glad about it.
He expressed his gratitude to Justice Farooq but also expressed his dissatisfaction at the court adjourning the hearing on a plea seeking an open hearing of Imran’s bail plea in the cipher case.
He said the reasons for which the hearing had been adjourned were “not acknowledged in the law”. Marwat expressed hope that the hearing would be held within a few days.
The special court formed under the Official Secrets Act had rejected the post-arrest bail pleas of Khan and his party's Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the case of the missing cypher, Pakistan-based The News International reported.
Both Khan and Qureshi are on judicial remand till September 26, in connection with the cypher case. In August, the FIA booked the PTI chief and his party’s vice chairman under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly misplacing and misusing the classified document for vested political interests.
Subsequently, both leaders were arrested in connection with the probe into the case and a special court was formed under the Official Secrets Act to try the accused.
The cypher controversy first emerged on March 27, 2022, when Imran Khan just days before his ouster in April 2022 brandished a letter, claiming that it was a cypher from a foreign nation, which mentioned that his government should be ousted from power, according to The News International report.
He did not reveal the contents of the letter and the name of the nation that had sent it. However, a few days later Imran Khan named the United States and said that US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs Donald Lu had sought his removal.
PTI chairman had claimed that he was reading contents from the cypher and said that "all will be forgiven for Pakistan if Imran Khan is removed from power". The cypher case against Imran Khan became serious after his principal secretary Azam Khan in a statement before a magistrate and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said that the former PM had used the US cypher for his "political gains" and to avoid a vote of no-confidence against him, according to The News International report.
According to Azam Khan, Pakistan's then-PM said that the cable could be used for "creating a narrative against establishment and opposition." He said the US cypher was used in political gatherings by the PTI chairman, despite his advice to avoid such acts. (ANI)
