ISLAMABAD: Jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was denied an open court trial on Monday as ordered by a high court after the government submitted reports citing threats to his life, his lawyer said.
The court hearing the case later said Khan’s trial on the charge of leaking state secrets will be held in jail premises but will be open to media and the public, the lawyer said.
The Islamabad High Court had ruled last week that holding Khan’s trial inside jail premises on security concerns was illegal, and ordered it restarted in an open court.
Khan has denied the charges against him.
The 71-year-old former cricket star has been embroiled in a tangle of political and legal battles since he was ousted as prime minister. He has not been seen in public since he was jailed for three years in August for unlawfully selling state gifts while in office from 2018 to 2022.
Khan had been appearing in courts prior to his August arrest protected by his personal security guards. But he has also sought exemptions from personal appearances, often citing threats to his safety.
“Jail reports have been submitted citing that Imran Khan has life threats according to various intelligence and police reports,” said the lawyer, Naeem Panjutha, in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
A special court has been conducting the trial in prison since Khan was indicted on the charges last month.
The charges against Khan relate to a classified cable sent to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador in the United States last year, which Khan is accused of making public.
The graft conviction has put a five-year bar on Khan to contest elections. He denies any wrongdoing and has said all the charges against him, including the graft case and the leak of the cable, were cooked up at the behest of the military to block him from the Feb. 8 general election.
The military has dismissed Khan’s allegations.
The election is shaping as a fight between Khan’s party and that of another ousted former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif.
Both leaders had fallen out with the military, which has ruled directly or overseen civilian governments since Pakistan’s creation in 1947.
Pakistan’s Imran Khan denied court-ordered public trial — lawyer
https://arab.news/mmq7s
Pakistan’s Imran Khan denied court-ordered public trial — lawyer
- Open trial denied despite high court orders, government submits reports on threats to Khan’s life
- Court rules retrial in jail open to public and media, Khan in the past cited life threats to seek exemptions
Thousands evacuate homes in Pakistan’s northwest ahead of security operation
- Families in the restive Tirah Valley will receive cash grants, monthly stipends during relocation
- The planned military offensive aims to clear militants from the volatile region near Afghan border
ISLAMABAD: Thousands of families have started evacuating the restive Tirah Valley in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber district, an official and a tribal leader said on Saturday, as the country’s security forces prepare for a targeted offensive against militants in the area.
Situated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the Tirah Valley has long served as a sanctuary for militant groups affiliated with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), despite major operations in the mid-2010s.
Sporadic violence and militant entrenchment have nevertheless persisted, with security forces conducting intelligence-based operations in recent years to counter resurging elements.
A senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Arab News that “evacuation from the Maidan area of Tirah Valley started five days ago in anticipation of a possible operation against terrorists.”
He added that the relocation process will continue until Jan. 25, affecting an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 families.
“Each displaced family is being provided with Rs250,000 [$893] in one-time financial assistance, along with a monthly stipend of Rs50,000 [$179] until they return home,” the official said, adding that the government will also provide Rs3 million ($10,714) for damage to houses and Rs1 million ($3,571) for commercial damages.
He said authorities are also supplying food items and arranging free transportation for the relocation of the area’s population.
The decision to move comes amid residents’ complaints of a volatile security environment.
Kamaluddin Khan, a member of a local tribal committee representing elders from the region, described the migration as “the last resort” under the circumstances.
“The people of Tirah have decided to relocate under compulsion and that too only once the government and administration accepted their demands,” he told Arab News over the phone, mainly referring to financial assistance and facilitation.
“The situation in Tirah has deteriorated to such an extent that not only humans, but even animals find it difficult to live here. We held several jirgas [tribal councils of elders], but they proved futile,” he added.
Khan described the situation in the area as “highly volatile.”
“The registration process for migration has begun, and people have started leaving the area,” he added. “According to our estimates, around 30,000 people will be affected by this displacement.”
The move follows a bloody year for Pakistan. Combat-related deaths surged by 73 percent in 2025, reaching 3,387 fatalities, according to data from the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, a local think tank.
The organization said in its annual report that security forces suffered 664 deaths — the highest toll since 2011 — while 2,115 militants were killed during the same period.
Pakistan has grappled with a surge in militant attacks in its western provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, both bordering Afghanistan.
Islamabad blames the Afghan authorities for providing sanctuaries to militants it says use Afghan soil to carry out attacks against Pakistan. Kabul denies the charges.
According to security analysts in the area, the upcoming operation will be more targeted than the previous ones.
Peshawar-based Mehmood Jan Babar maintained that local sentiment has shifted against the militants.
“People are willing to leave their homes themselves,” he told Arab News. “The families with links to militants are also facing public criticism, as the people of Tirah are exhausted by a prolonged law and order situation.”
“The upcoming operation is not likely to result in large-scale displacement,” he continued. “Based on information available to us, it will be a targeted operation.”
Officials said that the operation against militants is expected to conclude within two months, after which the rehabilitation and return process may begin in April.
