ISLAMABAD: A special court on Tuesday awarded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi 10 years’ imprisonment each in the cipher case.
Special Court Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain while hearing the case at Adiala jail announced a short order and handed both former premier Khan and Qureshi 10 years in jail in the cypher case.
At the start of the hearing, the judge asked both Khan and Qureshi to come to the rostrum and handed over both questionnaires under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The judge asked both PTI leaders to come to the rostrum to record their replies to the questionnaire.
The former Prime Minister Khan said, “I am coming (to the rostrum), you (the judge) are in haste”, adding: “In any case, we have to stay in jail”.
The judge told Khan that he has to sign the questionnaire under Section 342.
Khan asked the judge to tell him first what it was.
Judge told Khan that keeping in view the law, he was providing him an opportunity to answer the questionnaire.
The PTI founder recorded his statement under Section 342.
The judge asked Khan where the cipher is. Khan replied: I had stated in my earlier statement that I do not know about it (the copy of the cipher). It was in my office. The judge told both Khan and Qureshi to look towards him. “I sentence you both 10 years in prison”, the judge said.
The judge after announcing his judgment left the courtroom.
After the judgment, PTI founder Khan was seen smiling.
Qureshi; however, protested and said the court had not recorded his statement under Section 342 and announced the judgment.
Earlier, the court closed the right of defence of conducting cross-examination of witnesses. The court had appointed state counsels for both the accused due to non-appearance of their lawyers.
During the hearing, both Khan and Qureshi expressed no confidence in the state’s defense counsel.
On January 29, the same court rejected Khan and Qureshi’s application requesting the judge to recuse him from the cipher case. The court dismissed PTI’s plea and also barred PTI’s lawyers from cross-examination of the witnesses.
The court ordered state’s defence counsel to conduct a cross-examination of the witnesses. The state’s defence counsel conducted cross-examination of witnesses including former foreign secretary Sohail Mehmood, former principal secretary to the former premier Azam Khan, former interior secretary Yusuf Naseem Khokhar, interior secretary Aftab Akbar Durrani, and former ambassador to the United States Asad Majeed.
After completion of the cross-examination, the court adjourned the hearing.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on August 16, 2023 registered a cypher case against Khan and Qureshi under Sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923. The agency arrested Qureshi on August 19.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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