ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Thursday (Sep 14) rejected the bail plea of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on charges of leaking state secrets, his lawyer said.
Khan is accused of exposing an official secret document, dubbed Cipher, when he waved a confidential diplomatic letter at a rally last year.
It was apparently correspondence between a Pakistani ambassador to Washington and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad. Khan told the rally it was proof that his removal from power in April 2022 was a conspiracy.
After a private hearing, Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain dismissed the plea under the Official Secrets Act.
Zulqarnain made no immediate remarks on his rejection of Khan’s plea.
He said at the hearing that “irrelevant persons” like journalists and lawyers not connected with the case were to leave the room at the request of the government prosecutor.
Khan’s lawyer Naeem Panjutha denounced the decision to refuse bail.
“The facts of the case are crystal clear and merited a favorable decision from the court,” said Panjutha.
On Monday, a court extended Khan’s remand in the Cipher case until Sep 26.
Source: CNA
