A special court in Pakistan on Wednesday extended the judicial remand of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and his close aide Shah Mahmood Qureshi till September 26 in a case related to the alleged disclosure of state secrets.
Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain, who has been hearing the cases related to the Official Secrets Act, 1923, conducted the proceedings inside the high security Attock Jail where the 70-year-old former prime minister is currently lodged.
During the in-camera hearing, Judge Zulqarnain extended Khan's judicial remand for another 14 days in the cipher case, his lawyer Naeem Haider Panjotha said in a post on platform X. "Judicial remand of Chairman PTI Imran Khan extended till September 26,” Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said in a brief message on WhatsApp.
Court also extended Qureshi's judicial remand till September 26
Two-time foreign minister Qureshi was also produced in court on Wednesday following the completion of his 14-day judicial remand. The court also extended Qureshi's judicial remand till September 26.
Qureshi, a 67-year-old former foreign minister, was arrested under the Official Secrets Act for violating the secrecy of the official cable sent by the Pakistani embassy in the US to the foreign office when he was the foreign minister.
Security was beefed up outside the jail ahead of the hearing.
Khan has been kept in the Attock Jail since August 5 after his conviction in the Toshakhana corruption case. His sentence was suspended by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on August 29, but he continues to remain in Attock prison in the cipher case. Last month, his remand was extended for 14 days till September 13 by the special court.
Today's hearing comes at the end of the 14-day judicial remand. The cricketer-turned-politician is charged with the violation of the Official Secrets Act in connection with the leakage of a confidential diplomatic cable from Pakistan's embassy in Washington.
(With input from agency)
