11 arrest warrants canceled, 15 frozen accounts to be restored, property foreclosures stopped.
Aleema Khan appeared before an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi on Thursday for her November 26 hearing, following threats of property seizure, frozen bank accounts, blocked CNIC and passport and 11 arrest warrants.
However, government lawyer Zaheer Shah did not let the hearing proceed without raising the issue of Aleema’s continued absence, raising strong objections in court. The prosecutor noted that more than a month had passed since the charges were made against Aleema Khan, and yet she had consistently remained absent.
No request for exemption from appearance was filed during the 11 hearings. The prosecutor added that his lawyer was also absent during the same period.
The prosecutor alleged that Aleema Khan abused the bail system and that she and her lawyers deliberately flouted the law. He pointed out that on October 15, his lawyer challenged the jurisdiction of the court and publicly highlighted this issue in the media without appearing in court.
“13 arrest warrants were issued against Aleema Khan, but she did not appear despite signing,” added the prosecutor. He said if the accused was not satisfied with the proceedings or investigation, she should challenge them in the appropriate legal forum.
The prosecutor further said that Aleema Khan has not challenged any trial or investigation in court so far and the case has been going on for a year, with “delays solely attributable to her irresponsible conduct”. He urged her and her lawyers to prove her innocence in court rather than in the media.
The court noted that Aleema Khan was lawfully under arrest and had ignored all court orders. Although her bail was canceled, she failed to appear and several cases were registered against her in different cities.
The case heard by the ATC is registered at the Sadiqabad police station, and includes charges of protesting against the government, chanting anti-government slogans, vandalism and stone pelting.
Read: ATC issues non-bailable arrest warrant for Aleema Khan for eighth time
Defense lawyer Faisal Malik argued that given the number of cases in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad, it was not always possible for him to attend every hearing. He requested that appropriate dates and times be set for his appearances. “There are around 200 complaints filed against Aleema Khan, which makes it impossible to attend all the hearings,” adding that she often follows cases involving her brother, nephews and sisters.
During the hearing, there was an exchange of words between Faisal Malik and Zaheer Shah regarding the failure to submit fresh bail bonds. Malik assured the court that copies of the court orders would be provided and fresh bail bonds could be submitted immediately.
He also pointed out that Aleema appeared before the court out of respect despite her illness and requested that the court take into account her health or any other issues when seeking exemptions.
The court wondered why she did not challenge his failure to appear, the wording of the charges, the judicial findings or the investigation at any time. The prosecutor asked her and her lawyer to commit in writing to appear at the next hearing.
During the proceedings, Aleema Khan’s lawyer Tabish Farooq recited a verse from Faiz Ahmed Faiz: “We do not accept such a constitution, nor a dawn without light”
The court wryly noted that the PTI lawyers appear to be “well acquainted with Faiz’s poetry”.
The court asked Aleema to attend all future hearings punctually and cautioned her to exercise caution in complying with court orders. Aleema assured the court that she would attend future hearings and requested a thaw at Namal University, according to Mianwali’s account.
The accused challenged the applicability of the terrorism clause, Article 7 ATA, in her case, requesting that it be declared illegal. She also filed a motion for the restoration of all her frozen bank accounts. The court approved a hearing on Alima Khan’s application to remove the anti-terrorism provisions of Article 7 ATA from her case.
Learn more: Imran’s sisters arrested after 10 hours of sit-in outside Adiala prison
The 11 outstanding arrest warrants against her have been canceled. A request to restore 15 of his frozen bank accounts was approved for a hearing. Moreover, the process of seizing his properties in Punjab and Islamabad has been halted. However, the court suspended the process of seizing his property in favor of the government.
The next hearing will include testimony from five witnesses. The busy procedure lasted more than an hour, with government counsel strongly opposing the cancellation of the warrants and reinstatement of the bank accounts.
The high-profile hearing lasted more than an hour, during which government lawyers argued strongly against quashing the arrest warrants and restoring the bank accounts.
The court also requested arguments from both sides at the next hearing on two motions filed by his attorney: one challenging the court’s jurisdiction and the other seeking unfreezing of the accounts.
The court adjourned further hearings until November 26. The next hearing will include testimony from five witnesses.
11 arrest warrants
Non-bailable arrest warrants were issued on October 14, 20, 22 and November 4 after Aleema failed to attend the proceedings. On October 14, the court also rejected her lawyer’s request for exemption from personal appearance, emphasizing that she should be formally charged in the case.
On September 18, the ATC granted interim bail to Aleema in connection with the November 26 D-Chowk protest case as Justice Amjad Ali Shah noted no clear evidence against her.
Aleema, the sister of incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, has been asked to submit bail bonds of Rs 50,000 and appear for hearings in the cases on November 26. These were later quashed by the court due to his failure to appear in court.
The court, due to her failure to appear despite issuing several arrest warrants, on October 24 ordered the NADRA Director General to block Aleema Khan’s CNIC, ordered the Director General of Passport to block her passport and ordered the State Bank Governor to freeze all her bank accounts.
D-Chowk Protest
On November 13, 2023, Imran Khan made a “final call” for nationwide protests on November 24, demanding the restoration of the PTI’s electoral mandate, the release of imprisoned party members and the repeal of the 26th Amendment, which he said had strengthened a “dictatorial regime”.
Also read: TTAP alongside Imran’s sisters after Adiala episode
The protest took place at D-Chowk, Islamabad, where supporters came from different provinces to respond to Khan’s call.
The state rejected any possibility of negotiation and an operation was carried out against the protesters, prompting the PTI leadership to flee the scene. The demonstration ended with the operation on November 26.
A notice was also sent to her surety, summoning them to appear before the court, and the court also canceled Aleema Khan’s bail bonds.
Arrest of Aleema Khan
Rawalpindi police on Tuesday evening arrested the sisters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, ending a 10-hour sit-in outside Adiala jail. The three sisters, Aleema, Dr Uzma and Noreen, were shifted to Chakri and returned home later that night.
The sit-in took place near the factory check post after the PTI founder and his family members, along with party leaders, were denied permission to assemble at the Adiala jail on the day of a planned visit.
In a statement on social media platform
The statement also alleged that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial minister Meena Khan Afridi, MP Shahid Khattak and other party officials and workers, including several women, were subjected to violence and taken into custody.
Around midnight, authorities first dispersed the party men involved in the demonstration. Subsequently, the women’s police unit took the sisters into custody, placed them in a police van and transferred them to Chakri. Following the action, the 10-hour sit-in ended and the remaining workers dispersed peacefully.
