ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) postponed the hearing until after Eid on Thursday regarding appeals against the sentencing of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in the cipher case.
A divisional bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb heard the appeals of PTI leaders.
Chief Justice Farooq addressed the lawyers, and remarked that eight copies of the deciphered cipher had been prepared and distributed to various recipients. The former principal secretary indicated that one copy had been shared with the then-prime minister but had subsequently gone missing. The court said that the accused could only receive one sentence under Sections 5(1)(c) or 5(1)(d) of the Officials Secrets Act.
Chief Justice Farooq further remarked that it was an admitted fact that a copy of the cipher had reached Azam Khan. He added that even if the charges were proven, the sentence in this case couldn’t exceed one year.
Defense lawyer Salman Safdar assured the bench of his assistance concerning these sections, highlighting that his client had been sentenced under both sections. He mentioned that ciphers are typically returned within a year, but the prosecution had initiated the criminal case against the PTI founder only after seven months.
In response, Justice Miangul Hassan requested the lawyer to provide any documentation regarding the period for returning ciphers.
The court affirmed that Azam Khan was the sole witness regarding the handover of the cipher to the PTI founder.
During the hearing, Salman Safdar Advocate requested the court to adjourn the case until after Eid. The court accepted the request and scheduled the next hearing for April 16.
