Lawyers of Imran Khan in Pakistan oppose his closed-door trial over revealing official secrets
Oct 4, 2023
Lawyers for Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan are opposing his closed-door trial in a case in which he is accused of revealing state secrets after his 2022 ouster, saying it’s aimed at convicting the popular opposition leader quickly
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Lawyers for Pakistan's imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday opposed his closed-door trial in a case in which he is accused of revealing state secrets
after his 2022 ouster
, saying it's aimed at convicting the popular opposition leader quickly.Salman Safdar, who represents Khan, said the trial should be held in an open court. He made comments outside the high-security Adiyala prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where the former cricket star turned politician is facing a trial on charges of revealing official secrets.
The case is related to his speech and waiving of a confidential diplomatic letter to a rally after his ouster in a no-confidence vote in parliament in 2022. At the time Khan showed a document as a proof that he was threatened and his ouster was a conspiracy by Washington. He accused the military and then-Premier Shehbaz Sharif of implementing a U.S. plot, a charge denied by U.S. officials, the Pakistani military and Sharif.
The document, dubbed Cipher, has not been made public by either the government or Khan’s lawyers but was apparently diplomatic correspondence between the Pakistani ambassador to Washington and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.
Khan is currently facing more than 150 cases, including charges ranging from contempt of court to terrorism and inciting violence, and was given
a three-year sentence on corruption charges in early August
. Later that month, anIslamabad High Court suspended that sentence
in what amounted to a legal victory for Khan.Khan’s deputy in his Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf party, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, is also a co-accused in the case. Khan has not made any public appearance since August, when he was arrested after his conviction in a graft case.
On Wednesday, the special court briefly heard the case against Khan and adjourned until Oct. 9, when Khan is likely to be formally indicted. According to Khan’s lawyer Naeem Panjutha, authorities wanted to ensure a quick conviction and sentencing of the former premier ahead of parliamentary elections.
Despite his ouster, Khan still has a huge grassroots following in Pakistan.
Khan's supporters and analysts believe that his party still could win most seats in parliamentary elections, which are expected to be held in the last week of January.
Currently, Khan is not eligible to run for parliament due to his conviction in a graft case.
MORE NEWS
Alexander Zverev Becomes World No.1 For First Time In His Career
Alexander Zverev secured the world number one ranking for the first time by beating Tallon Griekspoor to reach the Vienna Open quarter-finals.
UN names China's Blue Bay initiative world restoration flagship
China's Blue Bay Restoration Initiative was named a World Restoration Flagship by the United Nations (UN) on Thursday during the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia.
CPC Central Committee holds press conference on plenary session
CPC Central Committee holds press conference on plenary session
Even UFC champ Zhang Weili under pressure to find boyfriend from pushy Chinese parents
Even Asia’s first UFC world champion, Zhang Weili, cannot escape the pressure of Chinese parents pushing her to get married. A year ago, Zhang, now 37, said she was glad her family was not rushing her to marry, preferring to focus on her fighting career and leave relationships to fate. But in an interview posted on social media this week, Zhang revealed her parents grew deeply concerned about her love life during the first half of the year, saying they were “pushing really hard”. In the...
Thousands of birds take to the skies over Yellow River Delta
Thousands of birds take to the skies over Yellow River Delta
Golden hues everywhere! Autumn at its finest!
Golden hues everywhere! Autumn at its finest!
Inside the PLA’s new austerity drive: lean, mean, printing-on-both-sides machine
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is distributing second-hand briefcases, salvaging screws and steel bars, and reusing holiday decorations to keep costs down as part of a thrift campaign emphasising growth through frugality. It forms part of a broader cost-cutting effort in the Chinese military under Beijing’s 15th five-year plan covering 2026 to 2030, which calls for building the armed forces through “diligence and thrift” and pursuing a path of “high efficiency, low cost and...
Chinese scholars warned of challenge of ‘translating academic research into policy’
Chinese academic courses designed to deepen understanding of different countries or regions face a challenge in better informing policy and moving beyond frameworks developed in the West, a conference in Beijing has heard. Speakers said that as the country’s international engagement deepened, it needed a better understanding of the nations it engaged with, including their political systems, histories and strategic priorities. The discipline – known in China as “area studies” – draws on...
Chinese scientists dissatisfied with jobs but optimistic about future, survey says
Chinese scientists are less satisfied with their jobs than researchers in any other major country, according to a survey that also found they are more optimistic about their careers than their counterparts in the United States and Britain. Only 51 per cent of the 157 respondents from China said they were satisfied with their jobs, according to the survey published this month in the British scientific journal Nature, down 24 per cent from 2018. The survey drew 3,882 respondents from 133...
In Michigan Senate race, Trump’s softer China tone gives candidates room to look elsewhere
Two years ago, Mike Rogers stood before the Republican National Convention and warned that it was “impossible to build an EV without getting into bed with the Communist Party of China”. The former US House Intelligence Committee chairman made opposition to Chinese investment a prominent theme of his 2024 Senate bid in Michigan, which he narrowly lost to Democrat Elissa Slotkin. Now, as Rogers runs again, US President Donald Trump’s softer approach towards Beijing has given candidates more room...
Asian Champions Trophy: Harmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh Star As India Outclass China 5-2
Harmanpreet Singh and Sukhjeet Singh struck two goals each as India defeated China 5-2 to make it two victories in two games at the Asian Champions Trophy.
Teen Star Anmol Kharb Shocks Christophersen; Sindhu, Lakshya March On At Hylo Open
Anmol Kharb continued her dream run at the Hylo Open with a brilliant comeback victory over world No. 12 Line Christophersen to reach the quarter-finals.