A special court began hearing the cipher case in Adiala Jail on Tuesday where witness statements are likely to be recorded.

Special Court Judge Abu Alhasnaat Zulqurnain arrived at the Adiala Jail early on Tuesday morning. Federal Investigation Agency’s prosecutor Khawar Shah also came to the jail for the hearing.

The FIA team also brought along five witnesses for the prosecution to record their statements.

The witnesses have been identified as Nadir Khan, Imran Sajid, Muhammad Nauman Shamoon Qaiser, Farrukh Abbas, Iqra Ashraf, Aqeel Haider, M. Afzal, Haseeb bin Aziz, Shabbir and Khushnud.

A total of 28 witnesses had been identified by the FIA in the case who will all appear in turn to record their statements.

Imran Khan was arrested in the cipher case from the Attock Jail on August 29. The case, registered under the Official Secrets Act, centers around a cipher written by the Pakistani ambassador in Washington. Shah Mahmood Qureshi is also in jail in the same case.

The special court has carried out proceedings inside the prison compound, first in Attock then in Adiala.

The chargesheet handed to Khan accuses him of illegally retaining and communicating the cipher, a classified document that violated the Official Secret Act. The maximum sentence in the case is fourteen years imprisonment or death.