The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday extended the stay order against the jail trial of PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan in the cipher case, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
The court had halted the proceedings of the trial court on Tuesday, seeking information about the "circumstances" that prompted the trial to be conducted in the high-security Adiala Jail.
During hearing on Thursday, the court approved an extension in the stay order on the request of Imran Khan’s lawyer Salman Akram Raja until Monday, November 20.
Justice Miangul Hassan remarked that they will hear the on Monday at 11:00 am and will conclude the case then.
Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan objected to the admissibility of Imran Khan’s intra-court appeal against his jail trial in the US cipher case by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Speaking in the courtroom, the AGP said in his view the appeal was inadmissible for the hearing.
Salman Akram Raja, counsel for the PTI chairman, said on the occasion that he would like to answer the points raised by the attorney general. “The government has not submitted to the court as yet the documents which the court asked it to submit,” he said.
The AGP replied that he had submitted the paper book.
Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb remarked that when the verdict had been pronounced in the case, Imran was in the Attock Jail. “But now he is in Adiala Jail. Today the situation is different,” he said, and added, “The appellant may get a death sentence or awarded life imprisonment.”
The AGP replied he hoped that this would not happen.
The attorney general said he did not think that the former prime minister would get death in the cipher case.
Imran’s lawyer retorted that the AGP knew that the prosecution would not succeed.
Justice Aurangzeb asked AGP Awan to explain to him how on earth notification for the jail trial could be issued. “If you satisfy the court, the appellant’s case will weaken,” he remarked.
The attorney general said that the last time the government had issued a notification in this regard was three days ago on November 13. “Prosecutors had filed a petition in the special court for the jail trial,” he said, and added, “But the Official Secrets Act Court dispose of the plea.”
The judge said that the prosecutor’s petition was most important.
The AGP went on to say that then the trial judge wrote a letter to the federal government.
Justice Aurangzeb questioned, what was the reason that the judge wrote to the government after the petition had been rejected?
He said that the judge even wrote that the trial should be held away from the public gaze.
Imran’s counsel Salman Akram Raja said that he wanted to bring this to the notice of the bench what had happened after the court granted a ‘stay’ in the case. “I headed straight to the Adiala Jail where the trial was in progress,” he said, adding, “It was after a long time that I was allowed to go inside the jail. By that time one of the witnesses had even recorded his statement. Unfortunately, the court went ahead with the trial even after the IHC had granted a ‘stay’.”
Reporter: Rozeena Ali