ISLAMABAD: The jail trial of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, with media and members of the public allowed access for the first time, will begin today, Saturday, at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in a case in which the ex-premier is accused of leaking state secrets.
A special court established to hear what has popularly come to be called the cipher case had been conducting the trial inside the Adiala prison in Rawalpindi city since Khan was indicted on the charges last month and after the government said he could not be moved to a courtroom for hearings due to security reasons. However, the Islamabad High Court ruled last week that holding Khan’s trial inside jail premises on security concerns was illegal, and ordered it restarted in an open court.
The trial began afresh on Friday, but Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, a close aide who has also been indicted in the case, were not produced before the special court when the hearing began because a law ministry notification sanctioning their trial had not been submitted until well into the hearing.
The proceedings broke for recess and when they resumed, the judge said the law ministry’s notification had arrived and adjourned the hearing till Saturday.
“Another blatant attempt to slow the process when [law ministry] notification could have been issued yesterday,” a PTI media manager told reporters on Friday.
Khan, who is the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, is being held at Adiala jail where he is serving a three-year sentence in a separate case in which he was convicted in August of failing to disclose assets earned from the sale of state gifts while he was PM from 2018-2022.
Khan is also accused in a number of other cases, including the cipher case, which relates to an alleged diplomatic correspondence between Washington and Islamabad that Khan says was proof that his ouster as PM in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in April 2022 was part of a US conspiracy to remove him. Washington has repeatedly denied Khan’s accusations.
Khan, arguably the most popular politician in the country, has not been seen in public since he was arrested in August. Prior to that, he regularly addressed his millions of followers via social media and held massive public rallies and protest marches.
Khan had also 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.
The former premier says all cases against him are “politically motivated” and aimed at keeping him and his party out of politics ahead of general elections, due in February.
Ex-PM Khan’s court-ordered public trial scheduled to begin today in state secrets case
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Ex-PM Khan’s court-ordered public trial scheduled to begin today in state secrets case
- Case relates to cipher between Washington and Islamabad Khan says was proof that US orchestrated his ouster as PM
- Case relates to cipher between Washington and Islamabad Khan says was proof that US orchestrated his ouster as PM
Pakistan parliament calls for national response against ‘external sponsors’ of terror after Balochistan attacks
- Militants killed 50 people, including 17 law enforcers, in coordinated attacks across Balochistan last week
- Resolution follows government accusations that India backed the assaults, a charge New Delhi denies
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution condemning a wave of militant attacks in the southwestern province of Balochistan and called for an immediate, coordinated national response against what it described as “external sponsors” of terrorism.
The resolution came days after separatist militants carried out coordinated gun and bomb attacks across multiple districts in Balochistan, targeting security installations and government facilities, in one of the deadliest flare-ups of violence in the province in recent months.
Pakistan’s State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudry said the attacks on Friday and Saturday killed 50 people, including 33 civilians and 17 law enforcement personnel. State media reported on Monday that security forces had killed 177 militants since the assaults began.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said last week that the attacks, claimed by the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), were planned from India. New Delhi rejected the allegation as “baseless,” saying Islamabad was attempting to deflect attention from its internal challenges. Pakistan has long accused India of backing militant groups in Balochistan and the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, charges India has consistently denied.
The parliamentary resolution, tabled by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, said evidence from several militant incidents had highlighted “external patronage” of armed groups and raised “serious concerns, particularly regarding the role of India.”
“This house demands that an immediate, comprehensive, coordinated and multi-dimensional national response be ensured against these external sponsors and internal facilitators, including funding, smuggling, and propaganda networks, bringing together the political, diplomatic, military, intelligence, legal and narrative fronts,” the resolution stated, according to a copy seen by Arab News.
It said terrorism in Pakistan was being facilitated through logistical and operational support, financial assistance, training, medical treatment, and propaganda networks originating from certain neighboring countries.
The resolution expressed solidarity with victims and their families and praised Pakistan’s security forces for what it described as effective action against militants. It also voiced concern over militant networks increasingly involving women in attacks.
“This house expresses profound grief, sorrow, and concern over the fact that terrorist networks are attempting to exploit women and use them against the state and society through coercion, psychological pressure and blackmail,” it said.
Lawmakers called for national unity and urged political forces to rise above differences, vowing that the state would not compromise on the protection of its citizens or national security.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land area, has long faced a separatist insurgency that has intensified in recent years. Militants frequently target security forces, government officials, infrastructure projects, foreigners, and non-local workers.
The province holds vast reserves of minerals and hydrocarbons and is central to the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Separatist groups such as the BLA accuse Islamabad of exploiting Balochistan’s natural resources while denying locals a fair share. Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership reject the claim and say they are investing in the province’s development.
Balochistan is home to vast reserves of minerals and hydrocarbons, and also to the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Separatist militant groups such as the BLA blame Islamabad for exploiting Balochistan’s natural resources and denying locals a share in them. The military and civilian government reject these allegations and say they are investing in the province’s development.
