Amendment…Amendment…
(Editors… Please replace cipher with the cipher in the news previously broadcast under story code 22HINT7. This news is being reissued with this amendment.)
Islamabad, 22 December (HIST). The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday granted bail to former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan and party vice president Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case. Both have been granted bail on a bond of Rs 10 lakh each.
Geo News Channel has shared the information about this big decision of the Supreme Court on its website. A three-member bench of interim Chief Justice Sardar Tariq Masood approved the bail after the hearing. The two members of the bench are Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah. Earlier, Islamabad High Court has declared the jail case void. The special court had on December 13 convicted the PTI founder and vice-chairman in the cipher case under the Official Secrets Act 2023.
Both leaders have pleaded not guilty to crimes related to the alleged misuse of diplomatic cables for political purposes, according to the channel. Today the Supreme Court also heard the petition against the October 23 indictment of Imran Khan and Qureshi. Justice Masood remarked that the indictment that was challenged had already been quashed by the Islamabad High Court on November 21. Therefore the October 23 indictments of Khan and Qureshi were also invalidated and the trial was re-conducted.
Justice Masood said the fresh indictment would not be affected by the previous proceedings, which had been declared invalid by the Islamabad High Court. On this, former Prime Minister Imran Khan's lawyer Hamid Khan argued that the hearing is being held on the previous charge sheet. Justice Masood said that the petition against the old charge sheet has become meaningless. The judge told the lawyer that if you have any objection to the latest indictment then challenge it in the High Court itself.
On this, Hamid requested the court to wait for the High Court's decision today against in-camera hearing in the cipher case. Barrister Salman Safdar said Hamid has amended his pleas and requested the court to take it as a fresh plea. After this the court adjourned the hearing on the petition against the prosecution and considered the bail petitions.
Hindusthan News/Mukund/Suneet
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