ISLAMABAD  -   During the hearing in appeals of former prime minister Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi against their convictions in the cipher case, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday sought a detailed report of kidnapping case of former principal secretary Azam Khan.

A special bench of the IHC comprising Chief Justice of IHC Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb conducted hearing in the appeals moved by the former prime minister and the ex-foreign minister against their convictions in the cipher.

The bench also directed to submit a detailed report of the case of kidnapping of Azam Khan with verified documents and signed by Advocate General Islamabad.

Onset of the hearing, the FIA prosecutor Hamid Ali Shah read out the charges framed against PTI Founder PTI saying that he did not return the copy of the cipher to the Foreign Ministry and kept the copy of the cipher which he was supposed to return. The prosecutor said that Azam Khan admitted that his staff gave him the Prime Minister’s copy. He added that according to Azam Khan, the Prime Minister kept the cipher copy and did not return it.

Justice Aamer asked that if the cipher copy reached Azam Khan, it must have been given to the Prime Minister, the founder of PTI never refused to receive the cipher copy and the postal details of the cipher copy reaching Azam Khan must be available but is there any evidence of reaching cipher from Azam Khan to the Prime Minister? The prosecutor replied that everything is available and these details are present in the in and out registers. Then, the bench asked for a report related to the case registered after the disappearance of Azam Khan saying that whether it has been discharged or challan has been presented or what have happened. It directed to submit a complete report in this regard.

The FIA Prosecutor said that the founder of PTI made a speech in the public gathering on March 27 and he admitted that the document he had was a cipher. The IHC Chief Justice asked that if I pick up a piece of paper and say that it is an FIR, will you accept it? The prosecutor replied that I have no right even to deny it my Lord.

Justice Maigul Hassan said that they are hearing the case under the criminal law and they have to look it very strictly. He added that it was a speech of a politician in a rally and how can they believe it? He further said that a politician’s statement in a rally is to get support and if he is showing something from his pocket in the rally, how can they accept it as a cipher? 

Later, the bench deferred hearing of the case till May 2 for further proceedings.