A special court hearing the cipher case on Tuesday extended until Oct. 10 the judicial remand of both Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
During today’s in-camera hearing at Attock Jail—where Khan remains detained—judge Adual Hasnat Zulqarnain also directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to submit a challan of the case against Khan. Speaking with media after the hearing, Khan’s lawyer Latif Khosa claimed Khan was due for bail but it could not proceed until the FIA had submitted its challan.
The lawyer also claimed that the PTI chief no longer wished to be transferred to Adiala Jail—as ordered by the Islamabad High Court a day earlier on a petition field by Khan’s lawyers—and would seek to withdraw his plea. However, it is unclear how this would proceed, as the written order for Khan’s transfer was issued on Tuesday.
Separately, the hearing for Qureshi’s remand was conducted at the Federal Judicial Complex in Islamabad. Brought to the court in handcuffs, the former foreign minister was accompanied by his lawyers. Upon his appearance, court officials informed him that his remand had been extended after which he was returned to lockup.
Speaking with media while leaving the court, Qureshi reiterated his innocence in the case. To a question on general elections proceeding “minus Imran,” he claimed such polls would be “meaningless.”
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.