Imran Khan's legal team challenges military and intelligence laws in top court

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan's legal team has challenged the two crucial legislation regarding changes to laws on military, and intelligence agencies in the country's top court.

"The Official Secrets Act, and the Army Amendment Act have been challenged in the Supreme Court by Imran Khan, who requested that both Acts are contrary to various provisions of Article 10A, Article 8, and Article 19 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973," Ali Aijaz Butter, Khan's lawyer said.

He added that in his petition, Khan requested the top court to suspend both laws, which give authorities more power to prosecute people for acts against the state and military.

Khan is currently incarcerated in a case commonly known as the "cipher case" under the Official Secrets Act.

President denies signing the two bills

The case is related to diplomatic communications between Washington and Islamabad, which Khan says was part of a US conspiracy to topple his government in April 2022.

Last month, the Official Secrets Act Amendment Bill 2023 and the Pakistan Army Amendment Bill 2023, made headlines when the country's President Arif Alvi said he didn't sign both the bills which were approved by the lower and upper house.

President Alvi denied having signed the two bills, and said he had asked his staff to return the bills, unsigned within the stipulated time to make them “ineffective.”