Nearly two months after he was incarcerated at Attock Jail in the Toshakhana case, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was transferred to Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail on Tuesday night amidst strict security.
Earlier this month, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended Khan’s three-year sentence in the Toshakhana case, allowing for his release, but he remains in jail after being detained under the Official Secrets Act in the cipher case. On Tuesday, on a petition moved by Khan’s legal team, the IHC issued a written order directing authorities to transfer Khan to Adiala Jail. In his order, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq said the PTI chief should be granted ‘better class’ facilities as per his entitlements as a former prime minister and an educated individual.
During proceedings, the IHC CJ had further noted that an ‘under-trial prisoner’ facing cases registered in Islamabad could not be detained in Attock and should be shifted to the Adiala jail.
Curiously, hours before the transfer, Khan’s lawyers claimed he no longer wished to be shifted to Adiala as he had become “accustomed” to Attock. Speaking with media, Latif Khosa said the PTI chief had decided to withdraw his application seeking the transfer due to the “inordinate delay” in deciding his plea. However, as the IHC orders had already been issued, authorities dismissed this and proceeded to transfer the PTI chief.
According to local media, Khan was transferred in a convoy of 18 vehicles, including two bulletproof cars. He reached the Rawalpindi prison around 9:30 p.m. amidst heavy deployment of police on multiple routes leading to the facility. Authorities had also deployed a contingent of Rangers and police outside Adiala ahead of his arrival. Reports indicate Khan is now housed in the same barrack that had held former prime minister Nawaz Sharif during his incarceration in the prison.
Earlier in the day, Special Court Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain extended the judicial remand of the PTI chief, as well as PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, until Oct. 10. The in-camera hearing for Khan was conducted at Attock, while Qureshi was produced at Islamabad’s Federal Judicial Complex. According to legal experts, future hearings of the case could see both accused attending proceedings at Adiala, as Qureshi is also detained at the prison.
The cipher case pertains to a diplomatic document that Khan claimed to brandish during a political rally last year. Khan alleged that the document, sent by then-ambassador to the U.S. Asad Majeed Khan, contained “proof” that Washington had orchestrated his ouster as prime minister through a vote of no-confidence. The U.S. has repeatedly denied these allegations, while two separate meetings of the civil-military National Security Council have maintained the cipher contained no evidence of foreign conspiracy. The copy of the cipher that was with Khan has gone missing, with authorities maintaining the PTI chief violated the Official Secrets Act in his negligence.
Thus far, the special court has twice extended Khan’s judicial remand in the cipher case.