Dawn Court reporter
Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court has said that no one knows what the text of the cipher is, but they are saying that the enemy has benefited, the whole case revolves around a document, that document is not on record and its text is also on record. But not.
In the Islamabad High Court, the appeal of PTI founder Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi against the sentence in the cipher case was heard before Chief Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb. Founder PTI lawyers Salman Safdar and others appeared before the court while FIA prosecutor Hamid Ali Shah and Zulfiqar Abbasi Naqvi, Advocate General Islamabad Ayaz Shaukat also appeared.
The Chief Justice said that we had called for a report from Superintendent Adiala Jail and the report on behalf of Superintendent Adiala could not be submitted yet.
Imran Khan’s lawyer, Barrister Salman Safdar, continued the arguments and said that the cipher office works round the clock, the cipher was received by email.
The Chief Justice said that the cipher that comes now comes in coded form through email, the officer will download it and decode it.
Salman Safdar said that the original cipher will stop with him, the secret language is also written on it, the secretary of foreign affairs authorizes who the cipher is to go to, whoever the copy of the cipher goes to, the original cipher. There will be a concept that must be returned, it is discarded by returning the cipher. Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb said that the email that came through email in coded form is there now. On this, Special Prosecutor Hamid Ali Shah said that yes, he would stay.
Chief Justice Amir Farooq said that this is a criminal case whose document is not on record, the text of which the document is alleged to be misused or twisted is not on record, it is not a civil case but a criminal case and Can’t go on assumptions and the prosecution has to prove it beyond any doubt. Advocate Salman Safdar said that when this case was heard before the Supreme Court, the bench repeatedly said not to call it a cipher. Justice Mian Gul Hasan. Aurangzeb said that whether the founder of PTI had access to the code at any stage. Salman Safdar said that there was no access, nor is it a case of FIA. Compromised? Tomorrow I will highlight the applications before the court, what they are, we had applied to the trial court for cipher guidelines which were rejected. Chief Justice Aamir Farooq said that the whole case revolves around one document, that document. is not on record and at least the text is not on record.
Salman Safdar said that the case of Idily’s prosecution was that someone stole a cipher from the Foreign Office and gave it to an enemy country. Is the witness saying that a copy of the cipher was given to the investigating officer on the instructions of the Director General? The investigating officer did not state at any stage that he was given a copy of the cipher. Special prosecutor’s counsel Hamid Ali Shah said that the Secret Section Political (SSP) is a section in the Ministry of External Affairs.
Salman Safdar said that Foreign Office witness Shimoon said that the original cipher is lying in the Foreign Office, the word cipher has been wrongly used in this FIR, the cipher stops at the Foreign Office and the copy plain text goes ahead. Asked if Super Copy is not an official terminology? On this, Special Prosecutor Hamid Ali Shah said that no, it is not like that.
Lawyer Salman Safdar said that the number given is plain text and not a cipher. One page earlier they are saying that the number has been given from America. Now on the next page, they are saying that the number has been given here. The correct position is this. The witnesses are saying that a number has been put on the copy of the cipher in Pakistan. Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb said that I have read in some places in the judgment of the trial court, that there is also a copy written there.
The court also asked whether it was written that the copies of the cipher would be destroyed. On this, Salman Safdar said that you can also see the cipher.
The court said that while we are hearing the appeal, we have to see the legal position of the trial court’s decision, neither the judge nor the prosecution was shown that document.
Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb said that no one knows what the text of the cipher is, but they are saying that the enemy has benefited. The text of the cipher is not in front of the judge, the prosecution, or the lawyers of the accused. What should you call the foreigner and ask? Please provide legal support in this regard tomorrow.
The Chief Justice said that the court had asked for the CVs of the State Councils from the Advocate General, and the records from the Superintendent Adiala Jail were also not submitted.
Advocate General Ayaz Shaukat said that we could not get the order of the court, on this the Chief Justice said that the order was written in your presence, and you are taking our order very seriously. The hearing was adjourned yesterday.