Pak Cabinet okays ex-PM Imran’s jail trial in cipher case

Islamabad, November 30

Pakistan’s Cabinet on Thursday approved the jail trial of former prime minister Imran Khan in the cipher case after the special court’s decision to conduct in-prison proceedings due to security reasons.

Following the court order, the report for the jail trial was moved by the Ministry of Law and Justice and it was approved by the Cabinet, Geo News quoted officials as saying. Khan, 71, has been incarcerated in the Adiala jail Rawalpindi since September 26, where his in-prison trial had been going until last week when the Islamabad High Court ruled against the jail trial on procedural grounds while declaring the proceedings held so far as vitiated.

After the Islamabad High Court ruling, Special Court judge Abual Hasnat Zulqernain heard the cipher case on Tuesday at the Federal Judicial Complex in Islamabad. Khan was not presented by authorities due to security reasons despite the fact that the judge last week had asked to present Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is also accused in the cipher case.