Open Court and In-Camera
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued a ruling on Wednesday stating that the hearing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s bail application in the cipher case will be conducted in an open court and in-camera.
The IHC announced its reserved decision today regarding the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) request for an in-camera hearing on Khan’s bail application.
IHC announces open court and in-camera hearing of the PTI chairman Imran Khan’s bail plea in the cipher case on Oct 9.
The IHC specified that the open court hearing for the bail petition will be scheduled for October 9. However, the court also stated that discussions involving sensitive documents would take place in-camera.
The FIA had appealed to the IHC on Monday, seeking an in-camera hearing for Khan’s bail application in the cipher case.
The agency expressed concerns that a public court hearing could potentially harm Pakistan’s diplomatic relations with other nations.
FIA Special Prosecutor Shah Khawar informed the court that, under the Official Secrets Act, a trial cannot be made public. He emphasized that there were statements and information that could not be disclosed to the public. He said that statements related to other countries needed to be presented to the court.
Sharing such information openly could have an adverse impact on Pakistan’s diplomatic ties, Khawar added.
Imran Khan’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, opposed the FIA’s request for an in-camera hearing.
Last month, Imran Khan had filed a bail application in the IHC in the cipher case. The special court, established under the Official Secrets Act, is currently overseeing the case against Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Vice Chairman of his party.
The post-arrest bail applications of both leaders had been rejected by the special court. Currently, both Khan and Qureshi are on judicial remand until October 10 in the cipher case.
