Imran Khan moves Supreme Court to seek bail in cipher case

Former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking bail in the cipher case registered against him under the Official Secrets Act, reported 24NewsHDTV channel.

The petition was submitted on Friday by lawyer Salman Safdar on behalf of the PTI chairman.

It was stated in the petition that if the Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman does not get bail, there would be an irreparable loss, adding that no one could be deprived of freedom indefinitely.

The PTI chairman gives full assurance that he would not escape after being granted bail and is ready to furnish reasonable surety to the satisfaction of the court.

In the petition, it was requested that the appeal against the decision of the Islamabad High Court on October 16 should be allowed and the post-arrest bail of the PTI chairman should be granted in the cipher case.

Imran Khan has already been denied post-arrest bail in the cipher case by the trial court and the high court.

A special court on October 23 indicted former premier Imran Khan in the cipher case for allegedly violating the secret laws of the country.

Imran Khan, 71, was arrested in August after a case was filed against him for allegedly violating the Official Secrets Act by disclosing a secret diplomatic cable (cipher) sent by the country’s embassy in Washington in March last year. Former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was also indicted along with Khan.

The PTI chairman had used that document to build a narrative that his government was ousted as a result of a foreign conspiracy.

The proceedings of the case are being held at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi by special court judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain. Both Imran Khan and Qureshi have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

 

Reporter Amanat Gishkori