The Islamabad High Court rejected Imran Khan’s bail petition in the cipher case on Friday. The former prime minister has been in jail since August 5 when he was arrested minutes after an accountability court in Islamabad convicted him of corrupt practices in the Toshakhana case. Justice Aamer Farooq issued the reserved verdict on Friday morning. The decision was reserved on October 16. On Thursday, the IHC rejected Imran Khan’s petition against the trial being held in jail. The court had ruled that Khan should be given a right to free trial. The former prime minister has been in jail since August 5 when he was arrested minutes after an accountability court in Islamabad convicted him of corrupt practices in the Toshakhana case. He was arrested from inside Attock prison on August 29 in the cipher case, registered under the Official Secrets Act. Khan eventually managed to obtain bail in the Toshakhana case but could not be released due to his arrest in the cipher case. Since going to jail in August, Khan has not been brought to a single court hearing despite continuing to face a plethora of cases from corruption to May 9 rioting. All hearings in the cipher case have so far been held inside prison, first in Attock and then in Adiala. Meanwhile, Khan along with former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi have already been indicted in the cipher case. Khan has been charged with illegally retaining and communicating the contents of the classified cipher written by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington. Qureshi has been accused of abetting him. If found guilty, Khan could be sentenced to upto fourteen years in prison, or even death.
Cipher case: IHC rejects Imran Khan’s bail petition
