The bail application hearing for the Chairman of PTI was postponed in the Official Secret Act Special Court in Islamabad due to the absence of Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain, who is on leave until Friday.
Chairman PTI is currently in Attock Jail, while Shah Mehmood Qureshi is in Adiala Jail.
In Judge Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain’s absence, Duty Judge Raja Jawad Abbas Hasan presided over the case, where Babar Awan, Salman Safdar, and Shoaib Shaheen were present. Babar Awan requested the duty judge to hear the post-arrest bail application, but Judge Raja Jawad Hassan Abbas clarified that he did not have jurisdiction over this Official Secrets Act case and suggested obtaining a High Court order for his involvement.
Babar Awan argued that, according to the law, the judge’s absence shouldn’t hinder the proceedings, and they would file a petition accordingly. The judge responded by suggesting they file the application before him if they wished.
Subsequently, an application was submitted to the duty judge on behalf of Chairman PTI, requesting the hearing of the bail application. During the hearing, the FIA prosecutor questioned the court’s jurisdiction, to which the PTI lawyers argued that the duty judge could indeed hear the petition.
The court issued a notice to hear Chairman PTI’s petition by 12 noon, calling for arguments regarding the bail plea in the cipher case.
Barrister Salman Safdar contended that their request should be heard by a judge as it pertains to fundamental rights, and the previous delay was due to a writ petition in the High Court. Special Prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi expressed support for the court’s decision and questioned whether the judge would have heard the request if not on leave.
The court adjourned the hearing and later scheduled it for September 7th after considering the arguments.