October 1st 2023.
The lawyer of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan alleged on Saturday that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is being “mentally tortured” in the Adiala Jail. Naeem Hairder Panjotha, the PTI chief lawyer, claimed that Imran Khan is kept in a small room of C-class jail and is not allowed to come out for a walk. He also expressed doubts about the quality of food given to the former PM, which is still pending in the court.
In addition, Panjotha questioned the in-camera hearing of the cipher case and urged for an open trial. He believes that the conviction of Imran Khan in the cipher case is a part of a “campaign to keep the former PM out of politics”.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf rejected the challan submitted by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and demanded the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the cipher case. They stated that the challan against Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi was “meaningless and bogus”. The FIA, however, declared that the two were found guilty and requested the court to conduct their trial and sentence them in the case.
The ciphergate controversy first emerged on March 27, 2022, when Imran Khan just days before his ouster in April 2022 brandished a letter, claiming that it was a cipher from a foreign nation. He did not reveal the contents of the letter nor mention the name of the nation. But a few days later, he named the United States and said that Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs Donald Lu had sought his removal.
Imran Khan claimed that he was reading contents from the cipher, saying that “all will be forgiven for Pakistan if Imran Khan is removed from power”. Azam Khan, Imran Khan’s former principal secretary, stated that the former PM had used the US cipher for his “political gains” and to avert a vote of no-confidence against him.
On September 26, the special court extended the judicial remand of Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi till October 10 in the cipher case. Earlier in August, the FIA booked the PTI chairman and vice chairman under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly misplacing and misusing the classified document for their vested political interests.
The cipher case against Imran Khan has become increasingly serious. His lawyer has accused the government of “mentally torturing” the former PM in Adiala Jail and questioned the in-camera hearing of the cipher case. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has rejected the challan submitted by the Federal Investigation Agency and demanded the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the cipher case. The court has now extended the judicial remand of Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi till October 10 in the cipher case.
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