ISLAMABAD: A day after the Supreme Court granted bail to former prime minister Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in cipher case, the Special Court (Official Secrets Act) summoned 22 witnesses for recording the statements during an in-camera proceeding.

Judge Abual Hasnat Mohammad Zulqarnain also recorded statements from former ambassador Asad Majeed and former principal secretary Azam Khan.

As the media stood outside Adiala jail, 22 witnesses in the cipher case entered the prison.

According to the counsel of Mr Khan’s legal team, they were not informed about the proceeding well in time.

PTI’s spokesman, Shoaib Shaheen, told Dawn that the judge of the special court is conducting the proceeding in contradiction to the observations of the Supreme Court.

He stated that the matter related to the in-camera proceeding was pending in the Islamabad High Court before Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, but the special court judge appeared to conclude the proceeding before any expected order from the IHC.

Mr Shaheen was of the opinion that the Supreme Court’s decision superseded the IHC’s direction to complete the trial within four weeks. However, he said, the judge’s haste indicated that he has decided to conclude the trial before the Feb 8 elections.

Further proceedings in this matter have been adjourned till Dec 27.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2023