The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has postponed its decision regarding the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) request for an in-camera hearing in PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s bail application in the cipher case.
IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq presided over the hearing for the FIA’s application for in-camera proceedings related to the PTI chairman’s bail plea.
During the hearing, FIA prosecutor Shah Khawar presented the argument that, according to the Official Secrets Act, a trial cannot be conducted in an open court for cases involving classified information. Imran Khan’s lawyer, Barrister Salman Safdar, opposed the FIA’s miscellaneous application.
Barrister Salman Safdar contended that a request for in-camera proceedings should be made directly to the trial court, and if there are sensitive matters to discuss, they can be conducted in a closed chamber.
Prosecutor Shah Khawar emphasized the confidentiality of ciphers, stating that they are classified documents, and their secrecy must be preserved.
Ciphers are transmitted from embassies to the foreign ministry, and after decoding, copies are distributed to high-ranking officials. However, once they are returned to the Foreign Office, they are destroyed, leaving only the original cipher in the Foreign Ministry’s possession.
The chief justice commented that the court needed to decide whether the hearing should be conducted in-camera or in an open court.
A date for the rescheduled hearing will be determined, with Barrister Safdar requesting it to be scheduled within two days. The chief justice stated that the relevant office would arrange the hearing, and the decision on the request for an in-camera hearing was deferred.
On September 30, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had accused PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case, as outlined in the investigation report submitted to the special Official Secrets Act court in Islamabad.
The report called for Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood to be prosecuted and sentenced. It also included a list of 28 witnesses and statements from 27 witnesses, including Additional Foreign Secretary Faisal Niaz Tirmizi. The report featured the statement of Imran Khan’s former principal secretary Azam Khan, provided under sections 161 and 167 of the CrPC.
