IHC reserves verdict on jail trial in Cipher Case

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday reserved its verdict in response to a petition filed by Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), challenging the decision to conduct his trial in the cipher case at Attock jail.

The PTI chairman, currently in judicial custody until September 13 for the cipher case, submitted the plea to the IHC through his legal counsel, Sher Afzal Marwat, contesting the law ministry’s notification.

In his petition, Imran Khan urged the court to declare the notification null and void, citing it as “illegal” for the court proceedings to be relocated to Attock jail.

Imran Khan was incarcerated on August 5 following his conviction in the Toshakhana case. His sentence was suspended by the IHC on August 29. However, a special court instructed Attock jail authorities to detain him in a “judicial lockup” in connection with the cipher case.

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Last month, the law ministry appointed Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain as the judge of the special court responsible for trying suspects under the Official Secrets Act.

IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq reserved the verdict following today’s arguments challenging the ministry’s notification. The court had previously sought a response from the defendants regarding the notice.