Cipher case: Imran Khan gets another 14 days judicial remand

A Pakistan special court on Tuesday extended judicial remand of former prime minister Imran Khan for another 14 days in the Cipher case, blighting the chances of his early release. Khan, also the chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was arrested last month after a case was filed against him for allegedly violating the Official Secrets Act by disclosing a cable (a.k.a. cipher) send by the country’s embassy in Washington last year in March. It is for the third time that Khan had been sent to jail on remand. The previous 14-day remand ended today. The special court judge Abual Hasnat Zulqernain conducted hearings in the District Jail Attock, where Khan has been detained since 5 August after his arrest following conviction in the Toshakhana case. After the hearing, the court ordered to keep him in judicial custody until 10 October to complete the probe. The court also extended remand of former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi for the same period. Qureshi has also been accused under the same law. Though the Islamabad High Court on Monday ordered authorities to shift Khan to the Adiyala jail in Rawalpindi but the directive was not implemented. Earlier, the authorities allowed to conduct hearing of the case in the jail due to security concerns.