A special court on Monday indicted former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the cipher leaking case registered against them under the Official Secrets Act, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Both Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi pleaded not guilty, with PTI chief declaring the case as "false, politically motivated, based on vengeance and a pack of lies. I will prove my innocence."
The lawyers of the PTI chairman and vice-chairman appeared in the court. Imran Khan’s chief lawyer Salman Safdar did not attend the hearing while other members of the team including Usman Riaz, Gul Umair Niazi and Khalid Yousuf were present in the court. Taimur Malik and Raja Qamar Inayat represented Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
Special Court Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain heard the case at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. The judge summoned the witnesses to appear in the court on October 27 to testify in the case.
Rejecting another application from Imran Khan to defer the charge-sheet, the judge remarked: "Today is the day for indictment."
In the new application, the PTI lawyers insisted that the indicted cannot take place as there was material to support it. “It would be a waste of time,” they added. “The charges are just hearsay, and do not tantamount to indictment,” they argued.
The court set aside their arguments and issued notices to the prosecution’s witnesses for October 27. Both the PTI leaders were indicted after their petition under CrPC 265-D to stop the indictment was rejected. The judge, while rejecting the petitions, stated that today's hearing was fixed for indictment.
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) prosecutor Shah Khawar said that Imran Khan has been charged with leaking classified documents. "He has been indicted today and the charge was openly read out," Shah Khawar told media men outside Adiala Jail.
The PTI chief was jailed in August for three years over graft but when his sentence was later overturned, he was instead kept in custody on the far more serious charge of sharing state documents.
The case relates to a cable that Imran Khan had touted as proof that he was ousted as part of a US conspiracy backed by the establishment. The United States and the Pakistan military have denied the claim.
Lawyers for Imran Khan say the case carries a maximum jail term of 14 years.
During the last hearing on October 17, both the PTI leaders’ indictment was deferred till today as the copies of challans submitted by the FIA were provided to the accused.
In August of this year, Imran Khan and Qureshi were booked under the Official Secrets Act 1923 in the cipher case after the FIA invoked Section 5 of the said law. The diplomatic cable reportedly went missing from Imran's possession. According to the former ruling party, the cable contained a threat from the US to topple the PTI’s government.
Once the charges are framed, the evidence of the prosecution is recorded and the case trial begins. Subsequently, the testimonies and statements of the accused are recorded by the court.
In line with the procedure, the court on Monday issued notices to the witnesses to appear on October 27 and adjourned the hearing till then.
There are 28 witnesses in the cipher case, the official witnesses will be called after the indictment. According to Prosecutor Shah Khawar, today's hearing was scheduled only for indictment, apart from the indictment, there would be no other action.
Due to the indictment proceedings, the police made very strict security arrangements outside the Adiala Jail while additional police personnel were also deployed.
Reporter Farzana Siddique