ISLAMABAD- A special court on Monday indicted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Vice-Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case.
The court, established under the Official Secret Act, was presided over by Judge Abu Hasnat Zulqarnain at Adiala jail.
During the hearing, Imran Khan vehemently denied allegations of corruption, characterizing the case as fabricated, unsubstantiated, and politically motivated. He vowed to establish his innocence. Similarly, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, former Foreign Minister and a prominent PTI leader, also denied any wrongdoing related to the charges.
The defense team asked the court to halt the prosecution while Prosecutor Shah Khawar strongly opposed this plea. Shah Khawar argued that such a move was merely a delay tactic and contended that the day’s proceedings were solely aimed at addressing individual culpability. He urged that the request for dismissal be rejected and that charges against the individuals be upheld.
The court ultimately ruled in favor of continuing with the case, denying the Chairman of PTI’s request to halt the prosecution. The court scheduled the appearance of witnesses for October 27, leading to the postponement of the cipher case hearing until that date.
عمران خان صاحب پر فرد جرم عائد کر دیا گیا جیسے توشہ خانہ کیس میں کیا گیا ایسے ہی سائفر کیس میں ہو رہا ہے.@NaeemPanjuthaa #انصاف_کا_جنازہ pic.twitter.com/cKi4cXHaCp
— PTI (@PTIofficial) October 23, 2023
Earlier, the court had set Oct 17 for the indictment but the said date was met with objections from PTI lawyers regarding the provision of copies of the charge sheet. Following these objections and subsequent discussions, the date for indictment was rescheduled to today.
In anticipation of today’s hearing, stringent security measures were made outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, with additional police personnel deployed to maintain order and security.
It may be mentioned here that both the Chairman of PTI and Shah Mahmood Qureshi are currently incarcerated in Adiala Jail in connection with the ongoing Saafir case.
