The special court does not allow media coverage of the case

ISLAMABAD: In a significant development, a special court has banned media coverage of the ongoing Cipher case proceedings, directing the order to be strictly followed on print, electronic and social media platforms, ARY News reported. The decision, stemming from the Official Secrets Act, emphasizes the need for secrecy in handling cipher matters.

The court specifically directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to ensure effective implementation of the media blackout order and take action against any violations.

Additionally, the families of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi have been given conditional permission to attend the court hearing. The decision comes after the special court approved the plea for an in-camera hearing of the bail plea in the cipher case filed by both Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, ARY News reported.

During the next in-camera hearing of the Sifar case, family members will have limited access to the courtroom. However, the special court has adjourned the hearing till tomorrow. The Cipher case, which began with the filing of a First Information Report (FIR) on August 15 under the Official Secrets Act, includes serious allegations against former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

Former Principal Secretary Azam Khan and former Planning Minister Asad Umar are also included in the FIR lodged on the basis of the Home Secretary’s complaint. According to the FIR, action is expected against Azam Khan and Asad Umar as authorities have concluded their involvement in misuse of classified documents.

The report alleges that a conspiracy was hatched by Khan and Qureshi to exploit the contents of diplomatic ciphers for malicious purposes, endangering state interests. The report claimed that the former prime minister had asked Azam Khan – then principal secretary – to “manipulate the contents of the cipher”. “The former Prime Minister deliberately kept with himself the copy of the diplomatic cipher, which was sent to the PM’s office,” ARY News reported.