A special court in Pakistan ruled on Monday (Dec 4) that former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi would be indicted in the cipher case again on December 12. In the case, both of them face accusations that they leaked a diplomatic cable.
The hearing of the case is taking place at the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi. Both, Khan (71) and Qureshi (67) have been incarcerated here.
The Dawn newspaper has reported that Special Court Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain issued the directive for the indictment.
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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party chief Imran Khan has been in the high-security Adiala jail since September 26.
The hearing of the case was moved to the jail again after a trial judge passed such an order. It was approved by the country’s Cabinet and the Ministry of Law and Justice issued a notification as well.
The judge has adjourned the hearing till December 12 after the indictment directive. He has said that the indictment, the official framing of charges, would be carried out against the duo on the same day.
During the hearing, family members and lawyers of both leaders were present, said the report.
The Cipher case
In the Cipher case, Imran Khan faces allegations that he violated the Official Secrets Act when he disclosed a secret diplomatic cable, called the Cipher. This was sent by Pakistan’s embassy in Washington last year in March. Khan reportedly lost possession of the diplomatic cable.
Both Khan and Qureshi had claimed that the cable had a threat from the US to topple the PTI government which was then in power in Pakistan. The leaders were indicted on October 23 but the fresh indictment has been necessitated by an order from Pakistan’s Supreme Court.
Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi have pleaded not guilty to charges against them.
Khan was ousted from the prime ministerial office in April last year after a no-confidence vote. After his departure from the post, more than 150 cases have been slapped against him.
(With inputs from agencies)
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