Cipher Case: IHC stays jail trial of PTI chief

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday issued a stay order against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman’s jail trial in the cipher case. 

The bench, including Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Samina Riffat Imtiaz, heard PTI Chief’s intra-court appeal on Tuesday against the ongoing jail trial in the cipher case.

Attorney General Mansoor Awan urged the court to adjourn the hearing until tomorrow, avoiding an injunction. However, the court rejected this plea.

The Attorney General revealed that the federal cabinet has given the green light for the jail trial, with an official notification set to be presented during the court proceedings.

Justice Aurangzeb emphasized the importance of examining the notification’s contents, cautioning that if the trial proceeds, it would be an extraordinary event. In response, the Attorney General clarified that it is not an extraordinary trial but a jail trial.

The court clarified that attendance permission doesn’t transform the hearing into an open court, drawing comparisons to individual charges in the cipher case.

Questioning the peculiar circumstances, Justice Aurangzeb urged the Attorney General to provide records from relevant institutions, addressing multiple lingering questions.

The court adjourned the hearing until Thursday, November 16, summoning all records related to the trial proceedings and seeking reasons for conducting it within the prison confines.