Imran denied court-ordered public trial

Jailed former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan was denied an open court trial yesterday, as ordered by a High Court, after the government submitted reports citing threats to his life, his lawyer said.

The special court hearing the case later said Khan's trial on the charge of leaking state secrets will be held in jail premises but will be open to media and the public, the lawyer, Naeem Panjutha, and a court order seen by Reuters said.

The trial in jail will begin afresh on Friday, the order said, adding, "Threat assessments, particularly in the present case, where one of the accused is a former prime minister can not be disregarded lightly by this court."

It has been conducting the trial in prison since Khan was indicted on the charges last month.

The Islamabad High Court had ruled last week that holding Khan's trial inside jail premises on security concerns was illegal, and ordered it restarted in an open court.

Khan has denied the charges against him. Legal experts questioned the government's move, saying a jail trial cannot be termed an open court.