The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has rejected the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) request and has decided to hold a public hearing on the bail plea of the PTI chairman in the cipher case, as reported by a private news agency.

In a verdict that was reserved on Monday, Chief Justice Aamer Farooq of the Islamabad High Court ruled that the bail plea of the former Prime Minister in the cipher case will be heard in an open court. The IHC's verdict stipulates that sensitive information will be discussed behind closed doors, as pointed out by the lawyers.

During the previous hearing, FIA Special Prosecutor Shah Khawar had requested an in-camera hearing for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan's bail plea in the cipher case, expressing concerns that a public court hearing might negatively affect Pakistan's diplomatic relations with other countries if sensitive matters were discussed openly. Shah Khawar cited a precedent, mentioning that even former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had faced legal action for discussing certain matters publicly.

Salman Safdar, the chief lawyer representing PTI, argued in favor of an open court hearing, suggesting that if the FIA had sensitive information to provide in the case, it could present it to the court.

Previously, the FIA had submitted the case file for the cipher case to a special court established under the Official Secrets Act, and both PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi were included in the indictment.