Pakistan’s former premier Khan's court case deferred

KARACHI, Pakistan

A Pakistani court said Tuesday it deferred the re-indictment of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his foreign minister until Wednesday in a case that accuses the two politicians of exposing state secrets.

Khan’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, said the indictment was deferred after the accused objected to barring reporters from attending the hearing in a courtroom in the northeastern garrison city of Rawalpindi.

Talking to reporters after the hearing, Safdar accused the authorities of not allowing the media to attend despite an order by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

Khan and his Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi were indicted in October in what is commonly known as the “cipher case,” in which both pleaded not guilty.

The indictment, however, was declared null and void when the IHC declared their jail trial “illegal” last month.

The cipher case relates to diplomatic communications between Washington and Islamabad, which Khan said was part of a US conspiracy to topple his government.

Khan, who served from 2018 - 2022, lost a vote of confidence in parliament in April 2022, one year short of completing his term.

In August 2022, he was sentenced by a trial court in Islamabad for concealing details and unlawfully selling state gifts he received as prime minister. Pakistan’s Election Commission consequently barred him from holding public office for five years.

The IHC, however, suspended his sentence weeks later and ordered his release.