Ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan moves high court against his indictment in cipher case

Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan Wednesday moved Islamab High Court (IHC) against his indictment by a special court on charges of leaking state secrets and violating laws of country, urging it to declare move "illegal and unlawful".

Khan, 71, and his close ally ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, 67, were on Monday indicted by special court on charges of leaking state secrets, in anor blow to jailed leers who could now face a possible death sentence.

Khan, chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) filed a plea with IHC through his lawyer Salman Safdar on Wednesday, Dawn newspaper reported.

petition named state through attorney general’s office and Ministry of Interior Secretary Yousuf Naseem Khokhar as respondents.

It said that petitioner was "quite aggrieved" with mode and manner of framing of charges as well as proceedings and trial under Official Secrets Act. " trial is clearly progressing, violating and compromising settled principles of ‘criminal law’ resulting in [a] grave miscarriage of justice,” it said.

It said that re was a “visible haste” apparent in actions of judge.

"re seems to be a clear rush and haste on past of learned trial judge to hurriedly frame charges and conclude trial. This contention holds appeal especially in light of fact that [] challan has only recently been submitted in court, and re is no direction” for its early conclusion or for conducting day-to-day hearing by any superior court.

It furr said that special court h framed charges under Section 5 of Official Secrets Act, which was in “blatant and brazen violation of law”.

petition urged IHC to declare "hasty exercise” of framing of charges to be “illegal, unlawful and against settled principles of Code of Criminal Procedure”.

Khan was arrested in August after a case was filed against him for allegedly violating Official Secrets Act by disclosing a secret diplomatic cable (cipher) sent by country’s embassy in Washington in March last year.

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on September 30 filed charge sheet against Khan and Qureshi who signed its copies.

FIA invoked in charge sheet sections 5 and 9 of Official Secrets Act which may le to a death sentence, or two to 14 years’ imprisonment if convicted. Khan, who served as prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to April 2022, is accused of "misuse contents of cipher" to build a narrative that his government was ousted due to a foreign conspiracy hatched by US, a charge denied by Washington.

charge sheet ded that Qureshi “aided and abetted” Khan and refore was liable for act in same manner.

More than 150 cases have been registered against Khan since his ouster from power in April last year.

Khan was ousted through a vote of no-confidence in April 2022. He was incarcerated on August 5 this year, after an Islamab court sentenced him to three years in prison in Toshakhana case. PTI chief was lodged in Attock District Jail to serve his prison term.

Later, his sentence was suspended by Islamab High Court, but n he was arrested in cipher case and remained in Attock jail on judicial remand. He was later shifted to iala jail.