Attock jail administration excuses to produce Imran Khan in Islamabad HC over cypher case

ISLAMABAD: The Attock jail authorities have excused producing former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad High Court over the cypher case, Pakistan-based ARY News reported. According to details, the jail administration said that shifting Imran Khan from jail to court could cause security risks.

The Attock Jail officials requested the court to exempt the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman from a court appearance on September 25, ARY News reported.

Earlier, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) scheduled the hearing for Imran Khan's bail plea in the cypher case. The registrar's office issued the cause list and Imran Khan's bail application is scheduled for hearing on Monday, according to ARY News report.

IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq will hear the case. On August 5, Imran Khan was arrested after his conviction in the Toshakhana case. Earlier this week, the court issued a notice to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), seeking arguments in the case. The special court formed under the Official Secrets Act had rejected the post-arrest bail pleas of Khan and his party's Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the case of the missing cypher, Pakistan-based The News International reported. Both Khan and Qureshi are on judicial remand till September 26, in connection with the cypher case.

In August, the FIA booked the PTI chief and his party’s vice chairman under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly misplacing and misusing the classified document for vested political interests. Subsequently, both leaders were arrested in connection with the probe into the case and a special court was formed under the Official Secrets Act to try the accused.

The cypher controversy first emerged on March 27, 2022, when Imran Khan just days before his ouster in April 2022 brandished a letter, claiming that it was a cypher from a foreign nation, which mentioned that his government should be ousted from power, according to The News International report. He did not reveal the contents of the letter and the name of the nation that had sent it. However, a few days later Imran Khan named the United States and said that US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs Donald Lu had sought his removal.

PTI chairman had claimed that he was reading contents from the cypher and said that "all will be forgiven for Pakistan if Imran Khan is removed from power". The cypher case against Imran Khan became serious after his principal secretary Azam Khan in a statement before a magistrate and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said that the former PM had used the US cypher for his "political gains" and to avoid a vote of no-confidence against him, according to The News International report.

According to Azam Khan, Pakistan's then-PM said that the cable could be used for "creating a narrative against establishment and opposition." He said the US cypher was used in political gatherings by the PTI chairman, despite his advice to avoid such acts.