The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has made a decision regarding the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) request for a private hearing in the case involving Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan’s bail petition related to sensitive documents. The IHC has decided that the bail petition hearing will be conducted in an open court on October 9. However, discussions about sensitive documents will be held behind closed doors.
The FIA had asked for a private hearing, expressing concerns that discussing the case openly could harm Pakistan’s diplomatic relations with other countries due to the nature of the information involved. The FIA argued that certain information, by law, cannot be made public, and they would make a similar request in the trial court.
Imran Khan’s lawyer opposed the FIA’s request for a private hearing. In the past, Imran Khan sought post-arrest bail in the cipher case, but the special court, established under the Official Secrets Act, had rejected his bail application, leading to his and another party leader’s arrest. They are currently in judicial remand until October 10. The FIA charged them with mishandling and misusing classified documents for political gain in August this year.
