PTI Chairman Imran Khan has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking post-arrest bail in the cipher case, where he is currently detained in Attock jail.
This move comes after the special court, established to handle cases under the Official Secrets Act, rejected his previous plea. The cipher case involves a missing diplomatic document that allegedly contained a threat from the United States to remove Imran from power.
Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi have attended hearings in this case, while the involvement of PTI leader Asad Umar and former principal secretary Azam Khan was supposed to be determined during the investigation.
Umar was granted pre-arrest bail, but Imran and Qureshi were denied post-arrest bail, with their judicial remand set to complete on September 26. Today, Imran filed the petition through his lawyer Barrister Salman Safdar, urging the IHC to grant him post-arrest bail until the cipher case is finally resolved.
The plea states that nearly 200 criminal cases, including charges of corruption, murder, sedition, and more, have been filed against Imran, making it difficult to seek remedy under the Code of Criminal Procedure. The petition alleges that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) operated under the influence of the then interior ministry and that the case not being registered by the foreign ministry was overlooked. It also points out that arrests of former prime ministers and foreign ministers under the Secrets Act are unprecedented in history.
The petition cites past verdicts condemning straightaway arrests and argues that the Secrets Act was originally intended for holding armed forces members accountable. It contends that the Secrets Act's sections are not applicable in the cipher case and accuses state functionaries of having vindictive motives.
The plea highlights Imran's willingness to provide surety and not abscond, emphasizing his integrity and contributions to Pakistan. It suggests that Imran's growing popularity posed a threat to established political forces, leading to political victimization. The petition has been accepted and is scheduled for a hearing on Monday by IHC Chief Justice Amir Farooq.