ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party rejected the government’s decision to try him in prison after the law ministry on Tuesday sanctioned legal proceedings against the ex-premier in a case involving a confidential diplomatic cable in Attock Jail today, citing security reasons.
Khan, who has been facing a slew of cases since his ouster from power in a no-trust vote in April last year, was taken into custody earlier this month and sent to a high-security prison after a trial court in Islamabad found him guilty of “corrupt practices” while looking into the accusations that he unlawfully sold state gifts during his stint in power.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) provided him relief in the matter on Tuesday, suspending his three-year prison term and granting him bail in the matter.
However, the ex-premier was not released from the jail since a judge had already ordered his detention in another case related to the mishandling of a confidential diplomatic cable, called cipher, in which his trial is scheduled to take place in prison today.
“There is absolutely no need for in-camera trial & that too in the prison,” the PTI said in a brief statement to the media while reacting to the development. “Trial should be in an open court with complete access to media & lawyers.”
Khan’s party also urged the Supreme Court to take note of “yet another blow to constitution & basic rights guaranteed by it” while pointing out that Article 10 of the constitution guaranteed fair trial to all citizens.
Earlier, the law ministry issued a notification in which it said the former prime minister’s trial would be held in jail.
“Due to security concerns as conveyed by the Ministry of Interior ... Law & Justice Division has No Objection for the trial of Mr. Imran Khan Niazi by the Special Court on 30.08.2023 in District Jail, Attock under Official Secrets Act, 1923,” it said.
It may be recalled that the secret diplomatic cable was prepared by Pakistan’s envoy to Washington last year after his meeting with a senior American official who purportedly threatened Islamabad of trouble, if the ex-premier dodged the no-confidence vote and continued to stay in the office.
Khan waved the document at a public rally in March 2022 and later revealed bits and pieces of its information for public consumption.
A complaint lodged against the former prime minister with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said he was “involved in the communication of information contained in [the] secret classified document ... to unauthorized persons (ie public at large).”
It noted that Khan and his associates had held a “clandestine meeting” at his private residence in Islamabad to determine how to misuse the diplomatic cable “by twisting the facts” to suit their political objectives.
The complaint added “the numbered and accountable copy of Cypher telegram sent to the PM Office was deliberately kept in his custody by the former Prime Minister Imran Khan, with malafide intention, and was never returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
“The unauthorized retention and misuse of the Cypher Telegram by the accused persons compromised the entire cypher security system of the state and secret communication method of Pakistani missions abroad,” the text of the complaint continued. “The actions by the accused persons directly / indirectly benefited the interest of foreign powers and caused loss to the State of Pakistan.”
All of this was with reference to the former prime minister’s use of the document to build a case that his administration’s downfall was a result of an international conspiracy hatched in Washington whic was later implemented by his political rivals and Pakistan’s powerful military.
However, all those accused by Khan have repeatedly denied allegations against them.
Ex-PM Khan’s party rejects prison trial as cipher case proceedings set to begin today
https://arab.news/jz6xc
Ex-PM Khan’s party rejects prison trial as cipher case proceedings set to begin today
- Pakistan’s law ministry sanctioned the trial against the ex-PM in Attock Jail while citing security reasons
- Khan’s PTI party says the matter should be discussed in open court with full access to media and lawyers
Pakistan highlights economic reforms at Davos, eyes cooperation in AI, IT and minerals
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaks at breakfast event in Davos at sidelines of World Economic Forum summit
- Pakistan, rich in gold, copper reserves, has sought cooperation with China, US, Gulf countries in its mineral sector
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif highlighted Pakistan’s recent economic reforms during the sidelines of the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos on Wednesday, saying that his country was eyeing greater cooperation in mines and minerals, information technology, cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence with other states.
The Pakistani prime minister was speaking at the Pakistan Pavilion in Davos on the sidelines of the WEF summit at a breakfast event. Sharif arrived in Switzerland on Tuesday to attend the 56th annual meeting of the WEF, which brings together global business leaders, policymakers and politicians to speak on social, economic and political challenges.
Pakistan has recently undertaken several economic reforms, which include removing subsidies on energy and food, privatization of loss-making state-owned enterprises and expanding its tax base. Islamabad took the measures as part of reforms it agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in exchange for a financial bailout package.
“We are now into mines and minerals business in a big way,” Sharif said at the event. “We have signed agreements with American companies and Chinese companies.”
Islamabad has sought to attract foreign investment in its critical minerals sector in recent months. In April 2025, Pakistan hosted an international minerals summit where top companies and government officials from the US, Saudi Arabia, China, Türkiye, the UK, Azerbaijan, and other nations attended.
Pakistan is rich in gold, copper and lithium reserves as well as other minerals, yet its mineral sector contributes only 3.2 percent to the countrys GDP and 0.1 percent to global exports, according to official figures.
Sharif said Pakistan has been blessed with infinite natural resources which are buried in its mountains in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir and southwestern Balochistan regions.
“But we have now decided to go forward at lightning speed,” he said. “And we are also moving speedily in the field of crypto, AI, IT.”
He said the government’s fiscal and economic measures have reduced inflation from nearly 30 percent a few years ago to single-digit figures, adding that its tax-to-GDP ratio had also increased from 9 to 10.5 percent.
The prime minister admitted Pakistan’s exports face different kinds of challenges collectively, saying the country’s social indicators needed to improve.
“But the way forward is very clear: that Pakistan has to have an export-led growth,” he said.
SHARIF MEETS IMF MANAGING DIRECTOR
Separately, Sharif met IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on improvements in Pakistan’s macroeconomic indicators, efforts toward stability and progress on institutional reforms, a statement from Sharif’s office said.
He emphasized Pakistan’s commitment to fiscal discipline, revenue mobilization and sustainable development, it added.
The IMF managing director acknowledged and appreciated Pakistan’s reform efforts, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
“Both sides exchanged views on the global economic outlook, challenges facing emerging economies, and the importance of multilateral cooperation in safeguarding economic stability,” the PMO said.
