On Wednesday, a special court decided to extend the judicial remand of Imran Khan, the chief of PTI and former prime minister, in the missing cipher case until September 13.
Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain conducted the hearing at Attock Jail. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was represented by Prosecutor Zulfiqar Naqvi, while PTI lawyer Salman Safdar represented Khan.
Subsequently, Khan’s legal team filed a bail application after his arrest and requested an open court hearing.
Previously, the court had instructed the Attock jail superintendent to keep the ex-PM in judicial custody and present him after the remand period.
As a result, despite the Islamabad High Court’s orders to suspend the trial court conviction in the Toshakhana case, Khan was not immediately released from prison.
Before the hearing, sources mentioned that Khan’s legal team, led by Advocate Salman Safdar, arrived at the prison.
The PTI chief’s legal team, which includes Naeem Haider Panjotha, Salman Safdar, Intizar Panjotha, Ali Ijaz Buttar, and Umair Niazi, was initially denied access to Khan but was later granted entry.
Initially, only Safdar was allowed to enter the jail by the police. However, Buttar raised questions about the remand of the former prime minister, asking when Khan was remanded and how it was done without informing his legal team.
Meanwhile, following the extension of Khan’s judicial remand, PTI’s lawyers filed multiple bail petitions. In one petition, they sought to declare the jail trial notification as “illegal.”
In another petition, they requested post-arrest bail for the former premier. The court then scheduled a response date of September 2 for all parties involved.
On that date, the FIA special prosecutor and PTI lawyers are expected to present their arguments in the case.