Pakistani government orders another public trial for incarcerated ex-Premier Khan

ISLAMABAD

The trial of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is currently incarcerated at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, will take place on Saturday in the presence of media and family members in a case involving "revealing official secrets," also known as the "cipher case."

Ministry of Law and Justice has issued a notification, instructing the authorities concerned to conduct the trial of the former premier inside the jail, one of Khan’s attorneys, Ali Ijaz Buttar, said on social media platform X on Friday.

The government notification came after the special court judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnian on Tuesday ordered a public trial in prison of Khan after authorities failed to physically produce him before the court in Islamabad, citing “security threats.”

However, Buttar claimed that the government is concerned that any photo or video message sent by Khan during the open trial will give his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), a political advantage.

"This is the fear of his (Khan's) photo or video, imagine how scared they (the government) are of Khan himself," he said.

Following the notification, the special court announced that it would hear the cipher trial against Khan and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, after the Law Ministry's notification.

The judge also ruled that Khan's family members and media will be allowed to attend the hearings in the jail.

However, Khan's other lawyer, Naeem Haider Panjutha, rejected the court decision and demanded that Khan's trial be held in open court at the Judicial Complex in Islamabad.

Previously, the judge had ordered the government to present the former premier in court after the Islamabad High Court ruled last week that his trial in jail was "illegal."

The former cricket star was arrested in August, and trial in many cases against him has been conducted inside jail.

Khan and Qureshi were indicted in the “cipher case” last month. Both have pleaded not guilty.

The case is related to diplomatic communications between Washington and Islamabad, which Khan alleges was part of a US conspiracy to topple his government last year.

Khan, who served as prime minister of Pakistan from 2018-2022, lost a vote of confidence in parliament in April 2022, one year short of completing his term.