The Supreme Court of Pakistan has indefinitely adjourned Imran Khan’s bail application in the cipher case, specifying that the appeal will be heard in due order.
A three-member bench of the SC led by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood heard the case on Wednesday where Khan’s lawyer, Hamid Khan, asked for time to prepare arguments.
Hamid Khan told the bench that a new decision on Khan’s jail trial had been issued by the Islamabad High Court and he needed time to study it.
Justice Masood told Khan that the bail application had been filed to challenge the IHC’s original verdict and he could file a new appeal against the latest order as well.
When the lawyer repeated his request for a delay, Justice Masood replied that Imran Khan’s appeal would be heard when it was its turn to be heard.
The former prime minister’s bail in the cipher case had been rejected by the IHC. The decision had noted that bail cannot be withheld as punishment but the case was sensitive so the special court should expedite hearings.
Khan is charged with illegally retaining and communicating the contents of a classified diplomatic cable under section 5 of the Official Secrets Act.
Khan, 71, was arrested in August after a case was filed against him for allegedly violating the Official Secrets Act by disclosing a secret diplomatic cable (cipher) sent by the country’s embassy in Washington in March last year. Former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was also indicted along with Khan.
