Ex-PM Khan’s party rejects prison trial as cipher case proceedings set to begin today

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party rejected the government’s decision to try him in prison after the law ministry on Tuesday sanctioned legal proceedings against the ex-premier in a case involving a confidential diplomatic cable in Attock Jail today, citing security reasons.
Khan, who has been facing a slew of cases since his ouster from power in a no-trust vote in April last year, was taken into custody earlier this month and sent to a high-security prison after a trial court in Islamabad found him guilty of “corrupt practices” while looking into the accusations that he unlawfully sold state gifts during his stint in power.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) provided him relief in the matter on Tuesday, suspending his three-year prison term and granting him bail in the matter.
However, the ex-premier was not released from the jail since a judge had already ordered his detention in another case related to the mishandling of a confidential diplomatic cable, called cipher, in which his trial is scheduled to take place in prison today.
“There is absolutely no need for in-camera trial & that too in the prison,” the PTI said in a brief statement to the media while reacting to the development. “Trial should be in an open court with complete access to media & lawyers.”
Khan’s party also urged the Supreme Court to take note of “yet another blow to constitution & basic rights guaranteed by it” while pointing out that Article 10 of the constitution guaranteed fair trial to all citizens.
Earlier, the law ministry issued a notification in which it said the former prime minister’s trial would be held in jail.
“Due to security concerns as conveyed by the Ministry of Interior ... Law & Justice Division has No Objection for the trial of Mr. Imran Khan Niazi by the Special Court on 30.08.2023 in District Jail, Attock under Official Secrets Act, 1923,” it said.
It may be recalled that the secret diplomatic cable was prepared by Pakistan’s envoy to Washington last year after his meeting with a senior American official who purportedly threatened Islamabad of trouble, if the ex-premier dodged the no-confidence vote and continued to stay in the office.
Khan waved the document at a public rally in March 2022 and later revealed bits and pieces of its information for public consumption.
A complaint lodged against the former prime minister with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said he was “involved in the communication of information contained in [the] secret classified document ... to unauthorized persons (ie public at large).”
It noted that Khan and his associates had held a “clandestine meeting” at his private residence in Islamabad to determine how to misuse the diplomatic cable “by twisting the facts” to suit their political objectives.
The complaint added “the numbered and accountable copy of Cypher telegram sent to the PM Office was deliberately kept in his custody by the former Prime Minister Imran Khan, with malafide intention, and was never returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
“The unauthorized retention and misuse of the Cypher Telegram by the accused persons compromised the entire cypher security system of the state and secret communication method of Pakistani missions abroad,” the text of the complaint continued. “The actions by the accused persons directly / indirectly benefited the interest of foreign powers and caused loss to the State of Pakistan.”
All of this was with reference to the former prime minister’s use of the document to build a case that his administration’s downfall was a result of an international conspiracy hatched in Washington whic was later implemented by his political rivals and Pakistan’s powerful military.
However, all those accused by Khan have repeatedly denied allegations against them.

Ex-PM Khan’s party rejects prison trial as cipher case proceedings set to begin today