Cipher case, Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood’s request not to hear arguments rejected

Rawalpindi: The Official Secrets Act Court rejected the hearing of PTI founder and Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s cipher arguments as inadmissible.

According to the details, Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain of the Official Secret Act Court in Adiala Jail heard the petition filed by founder PTI and Shah Mehmood Qureshi regarding not hearing the arguments of the case.

After hearing the arguments, the court rejected the plea of ​​not hearing the cipher case as inadmissible.

Earlier, the State Defense Council completed cross-examination on the statement of Azam Khan, the key witness of the cipher case and former Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, while objecting to Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

On Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s noise, Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain said, “You sit quietly, otherwise you will be thrown out of the courtroom.” On this, founder PTI and Shah Mehmood Qureshi expressed no confidence in the official secret act court judge.

Salman Safdar, the petitioner’s lawyer, on rejecting the request to hear the arguments, said that it has become difficult to proceed with the court in the current situation, we kept asking the court to proceed with caution, but despite this, the Islamabad High Court has ordered the trial. Declared null and void’.

He said that despite this, we came before the court for the third time, secret arrest and secret remand were also given, we did not object even then, we do not know why the court is in a hurry, the defense counsel appointed by the court. He is so capable that he understood the case in 14 hours and also cross-examined 9 witnesses, it is impossible.

He said that ‘state defense councils have straightened their hands on the case of our clients, the Supreme Court in its decision has asked for early trial, but it has not said that the case will proceed on the basis of departure’.

On this, the judge of the Special Court of Official Secrets Act said that there is no denying the decision of the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court had also said that if there are obstacles in the case, the bail can be revoked, when the accused are in jail. The hearing takes place on an ex parte basis’.

On this, Shah Mahmood Qureshi stood in the court room and said on the judge’s remarks that “Judge sir, even if bail is granted, we have to stay inside”.

Then the lawyer of the petitioner Salman Safdar came to the rostrum and said that something had gone wrong that the Islamabad High Court had declared the previous hearings null and void, this court is not paying attention to the order of the Islamabad High Court and the Supreme Court, the law is against the accused. Gives the right to have a lawyer of his choice, at the last hearing Sikandar Zulqarnain could not come to court due to a tooth operation, if the accused becomes bankrupt and says that he has no money, then only the accused can be given defense counsel, but There is no such thing in the present case, the appointment of State Defense Councils was also wrongly done’.

Addressing the judge, the PTI founder said that ‘we have not even been consulted regarding the appointment of State Defense Councils in a very serious case’.

Then lawyer Salman Safdar said that the cross-examination was completed by asking four questions to 10 witnesses. deprived him too.

Rizwan Abbasi, who appeared on behalf of the prosecution, said that the Supreme Court in its decision called for an early trial and also wrote that the bail should be canceled for obstructing the case. Usman Gul and Ali Bukhari were present in the court on the previous hearing, but they He did not cross-examine the witnesses.

He said that Usman Gul had said that he was not given the authority to cross-examine, where is it written in his lawyer’s letter that he cannot cross-examine, this is the assigned court and it cannot refuse to hear the case, the court of the accused The plea of ​​not hearing the case should be dismissed and the cross-examination of the witnesses should be started.