IHC likely to hear Imran Khan’s pleas ahead of trial court’s indictment in Cipher case

On Thursday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) clubbed incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s separate petitions seeking to stay a trial court's proceedings in the cipher case and quash the case altogether.

On August 18, the former prime minister faced charges under the Official Secrets Act of 1923 in the cipher case, following the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) invoking Section 5 of the mentioned legislation. Allegedly, the diplomatic cable disappeared from Khan's possession. The former ruling party claimed the cable included a U.S. threat to overthrow the PTI's government.

It is pertinent to mention here that a special court while hearing the cipher case in the Adiala Jail on October 10 announced that the PTI chairman and Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi would be indicted in the cipher case on the 17th of this month.