Pakistan High Court issues stay order against jail trial of Imran Khan in cipher case
The Hindu
The Islamabad High Court issues stay order against jail trial of ex-PM Imran Khan in cipher case. Court seeks info on "circumstances" prompting trial in high-security prison.
A Pakistan high court on Tuesday issued a stay order against the jail trial of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in the cipher case, seeking information about the "circumstances" that prompted the trial to be conducted in a high-security Rawalpindi prison.
The 71-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman is currently detained in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi on judicial remand. Khan's close aide and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, 67, who was also arrested in the cipher case is imprisoned in the same jail. Khan and Qureshi have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
A two-member Bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz pronounced the judgement during the hearing of Khan's intra-court appeal against his trial in Adiala jail.
The appeal was filed against a single-member Bench of the same court which last month upheld the trial of Khan in Adiala Jail.
Justice Aurangzeb said the court would scrutinise the notification, questioning the “extraordinary circumstances” that led to the trial being conducted in its current manner. “We want to know the actual events; you have to inform us,” the judge said.
The court also sought clarification on the reasons behind the federal cabinet’s approval of the jail trial. “The most important question lies in determining the status of court proceedings preceding the cabinet’s approval,” Justice Aurangzeb asked.
The IHC refused to grant a plea by Attorney General Mansoor Awan that instead of staying the trial, the court should fix the next hearing for Wednesday when he would present the entire record of the case. After rejecting the request, the court fixed the next hearing for Thursday and ordered to stop the proceeding.
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