Islamabad: A Pakistani special court mandated an open trial for jailed former PM Imran Khan inside the Adiala jail premises in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, with the government submitting reports citing threats to his life. The special court, established to try Khan as well as his deputy and ex-foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi under the Official Secrets Act, is addressing the alleged leak of state secrets, known as the cipher case.
The decision allows members of Khan’s family and the public to attend the proceedings inside the high-security prison, located about 34 km from Islamabad, where the two top leaders of the opposition PTI party have been incarcerated.
The trial was initially conducted in jail, but the Islamabad high court declared the entire process illegal last week. But Khan was not presented before the special court, despite the high court’s order, with the government citing “grave security concerns”, including a risk to his life. Khan’s attorney Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry argued against the decision, saying: “We have continuously demanded that the hearing be held in an open court with unrestricted public access. While the court has said the public is allowed access, it is never the case within jail premises.”
The lawsuit centres on a diplomatic cable that was conveyed to Islamabad by a former Pakistani ambassador to the US. The missing cypher, according to Khan, validates his claim that the US, political opponents, and the military plotted to remove him from office last year. However, both US and Pakistani authorities refute this assertion.