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‘Imran Khan spoke with sons on Oct 18’, Adiala jail superintendent tells court

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  • Jailer says there is “no permanent facility” for phone calls on WhatsApp
  • “PCO facility available for making phone calls,” jail superintendent says.
  • Superintendent insists he can’t think of disobeying court order.

ISLAMABAD: The Adiala jail superintendent Wednesday requested the court to dismiss the contempt of court petition filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan against him for going against court orders and not allowing him to speak to his sons over phone.

The superintendent’s request came after he submitted his reply in the special court, established under the Official Secrets Act, after being issued a contempt notice a day earlier.

“Can’t even think of disobeying the court order,” he stated in his reply.

The superintendent told the court there is no permanent facility to make phone calls abroad on WhatsApp. He informed the court that the PTI chief spoke with his children on October 18, after the jail took special measures to make that happen.

He told the court that in the letter issued by the inspector-general jail, pertaining to the accused in the Official Secrets Act, a PCO facility is available for making phone calls.

“Arrangements are made for prisoners to speak with family and lawyers at the jail PCO,” he said, adding that the court can direct the Punjab Home Department to amend the rules with regard to making phone calls.

The court, meanwhile, adjourned the hearing of the contempt petition till Monday due to the absence of Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain.

A day earlier, three witnesses provided their testimonies against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and the party’s Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi pertaining to the cipher case.

Judge Zulqarnain, presided over the proceedings at the Adiala jail under the special Official Secrets Act court. The PTI legal representatives included Barristers Salman Safdar, Taimur and Gohar Ali Khan, while special prosecutors comprised Shah Khawar, Zulfikar Abbas Naqvi and Raja Rizwan Abbasi.

The court, meanwhile, has called in three more witnesses for the next hearing, which has been adjourned until November 10.

Before the witnesses’ statements and cross-examination were conducted, legal teams consulted with Khan and Qureshi. Furthermore, the PTI chief met with his wife, Bushra Bibi, and sisters, Aleema Khan, Noreen Khanum and Uzma Khan, within the jail premises.

Qureshi’s daughter, Mehrabano, was also present during the trial. She also spoke with the media outside the jail, demanded justice and a fair trial for her father.

“Let the family in; no one can have security concerns from their family. Fair trial is my father’s right and as a daughter, I have the right to see the trial,” she added.

IHC asks govt to ensure cipher trial is conducted appropriately

Meanwhile, Islamabad High Court’s Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb asked the attorney general of Pakistan to ensure that the cipher case trial was not conducted in an inappropriate manner, otherwise, it might collapse like a house of cards.

An IHC bench, comprising Justice Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, heard the intra-court appeal filed by Khan against his jail trial and the appointment of the special court’s judge in the cipher case.

The attorney general assured the bench that no rights of the accused in the cipher case would be violated. Meanwhile, the court turned down a request to stop the cipher case’s trial proceedings, without hearing him.

The appellant’s counsel, Salman Akram Raja, requested the IHC to order an open trial in the cipher case, maintaining that the PTI chief was accused of making public the content of the cipher, but the same classified document was not made part of the charge sheet in the case. The court adjourned the matter till November 14, after the attorney general sought time to submit his arguments.

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Imran Khan’s bail request in the Toshakhana-II case has had its objections dismissed.

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In the Toshakhana-II case, the Islamabad High Court has dismissed the objections to PTI founder Imran Khan’s bail request.

IHC instructed the registrar’s office to schedule the hearing for the case for Monday.

Imran Khan’s attorneys, Shaheena Shahab, Ayesha Khalid, and others, arrived in court today as IHC Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb heard the case.

The registrar’s objections to the plea were questioned by Justice Aurangzeb. In the Toshakhana-II case, Imran Khan submitted a bail application, according to counsel Ayesha Khalid.

Justice Miangul said that previous rulings in circumstances comparable to this one adhered to the consistency principle. In this instance, the petitioner was a man, he added.

Bushra Bibi was given bail because she was a woman, according to the justice, and an application like this one was denied yesterday.

Given that the case action date was November and the power of attorney was executed in July, Justice Aurangzeb raised a concern about the timing.

Justice requested the help of Advocate Shah Khawar in this case.

When an applicant was held in jail, Shah Khawar retorted that it was standard procedure to obtain signatures on required documents, such as a power of attorney.

Imran Khan’s attorney, Shaheena Shahab, asked the court to send out notices regarding the bail plea. A judge named Aurangzeb said that the law would be observed.

Following arguments, the court dismissed the registrar office’s objections and ordered that the case hearing be scheduled for Monday.

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PTI presents seven nominations to Imran Khan for the judicial commission.

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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has proposed seven individuals to its founder, Imran Khan, for consideration as founding members of PTI for membership in the next Judicial Commission.

None of the nominated individuals are attorneys; rather, the roster includes four Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) and three senators.

The proposed MNAs are Umar Ayub, Asad Qaiser, Ali Mohammad Khan, and Aamir Dogar, while the senators are Shibli Faraz, Mohsen Aziz, and Aun Abbas Bapi. Sources suggest that the Judicial Commission will include one opposition member from both the National Assembly and the Senate.

The PTI founder will evaluate and endorse two names from the suggested list, which will then be sent to the Speaker for future actions.

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Miller confirmed that Biden’s administration got a letter from a congressman requesting the release of the PTI founder.

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Following his removal as prime minister in 2022, Khan started a protest movement against a coalition of his enemies led by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Since then, he has been in jail since August 2023 and has been involved in hundreds of cases.

In response to ARY News’ question over the congressmen’s letter during a media briefing in Washington on Monday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, “We will respond in due course to the members.”

The United States wants to see Pakistan maintain its democracy, Miller stated.

The release of the PTI founder’s wife and sisters was a result of a meeting between the US Deputy Assistant Secretary and a Pakistani government representative in Islamabad, which was further questioned during the press briefing.

“I won’t be addressing that,” Miller said when asked if the United States was involved in their release. Miller did, however, affirm that the conference included the defense of Pakistan’s basic liberties and rights.

Sixty-two members of the US Congress urged President Joe Biden on October 24 to support the release of Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, and other political prisoners.

The congressmen, who included well-known Muslim members Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, said in their letter that the Biden administration should ask Pakistani authorities to guarantee the safety of PTI founder Imran Khan.

They also underlined that US policy should concentrate on Pakistan’s human rights situation and asked that US ambassadors attend the PTI leader’s incarceration.

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