IHC CJ to hear objections against hearing of cipher case in Attock Jail today

ISLAMABAD: The Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court, Aamir Farooq, is scheduled to address the objections raised by the PTI chairman regarding the hearing of the cipher case in Attock Jail, a matter that is set for today.

The case pertains to the challenge against the Ministry of Law’s notification concerning the transfer of the PTI chairman’s case to the court, and this hearing is slated for today.

The Office of the Registrar at the Islamabad High Court has issued the cause list for the said case.

The plea submitted requests the nullification of the notification for relocating the court proceedings to Attock Jail.

Furthermore, the authority of the judge of Anti-Terrorism Court-1 to preside over cases registered under the Official Secrets Act has been contested.

The petitioner asserts that the judges of Anti-Terrorism Court-1 do not fulfill the basic qualification criteria required for handling this particular case.

The Chairman of PTI filed this petition through his lawyer, Sher Afzal Marwat, against various parties including the Law Secretary, Home Secretary, Chief Commissioner, IG, and DGFIA. The Superintendents of Adiala Jail and Attock Jail have also been included as parties in the petition.

On an earlier occasion, a special court extended the judicial remand of the PTI chairman for 14 days in the cipher case, which is registered under the Official Secrets Act. The court also solicited comments on his post-arrest bail petition.

Special Court Judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqairnain conducted a closed-door hearing of the case at Attock Jail, where the attendance of the PTI chief was marked. The case was adjourned until September 13, and the post-arrest bail case was postponed until September 2.

At the beginning of the hearing, PTI’s legal team also implored the court to overturn the Law Ministry’s notification regarding the trial of the former prime minister in jail and instead conduct it in an open court setting.