11 arrest warrants cancelled, 15 frozen accounts to be restored, property seizures halted.
Aleema Khan appeared in an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi for her November 26 hearing on Thursday following threats of property seizure, frozen bank accounts, a blocked CNIC and passport and 11 arrest warrants.
However, government lawyer Zaheer Shah did not allow the hearing to continue without raising the issue of Aleema’s continued absence, which raised strong objections in the court. The prosecutor noted that more than a month had passed since the charges were filed against Aleema Khan, yet she was constantly absent.
No request for exemption from attendance had been filed during 11 hearings. The prosecutor added that her defense counsel had also been absent during the same period.
The prosecutor alleged that Aleema Khan had abused the bail system and that both she and her lawyers had deliberately flouted the law. He highlighted that on October 15, her lawyer had contested the court’s jurisdiction and had publicly emphasized this issue in the media while she did not appear in court.
“13 non-releasable warrants had been issued against Aleema Khan, but she did not appear despite signing them,” the prosecutor added. He advised that if the accused was unhappy with the procedure or investigation, she should challenge them through the appropriate legal forum.
The prosecutor further stated that Aleema Khan had not challenged any trial or investigation in any court to date and that the case had been ongoing for a year with “delays attributable solely to her irresponsible conduct”. He urged her and her lawyers to prove her innocence in court rather than in the media.
The court observed that Aleema Khan was legally arrested and had ignored all court orders. Despite her bail being cancelled, she did not appear and several cases were registered against her in different cities.
The case pending at the atc is registered at Sadiqabad police station, which 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 her to attend every hearing. He requested that suitable dates and times be fixed for her appearances. “There are about 200 cases filed against Aleema Khan, which makes it impossible to attend all the hearings,” she says, adding that she often follows up on cases involving her brother, nephews and sisters.
During the hearing, there was an exchange of words between Faisal Malik and Zaheer Shah regarding the non-filing of fresh bail. Malik assured the court that copies of court orders would be provided and that new bonds could be posted immediately.
He also emphasized that Aleema had appeared in court out of respect despite illness and requested the court to consider her health or other issues related to applications for dispensation.
The court questioned why she had not challenged her non-appearance, framing of charges, court notices or investigation at any stage. The prosecutor asked her and her lawyer for a written commitment to appear at the next court hearing.
During the proceedings, Aleema Khan’s lawyer, Tabish Farooq, recited a verse by Faiz Ahmed Faiz: “We do not accept such a constitution, nor a dawn without light”
The court wryly observed that PTI lawyers seem “well-versed in Faiz’s poetry”.
The court directed Aleema to attend all future hearings timely and warned her to exercise caution in complying with court orders. Aleema assured the court that she would attend future hearings and sought freezing of Namal University, Mianwali’s account.
The accused contested the applicability of the terrorism clause, Section 7 ATA, to her case and requested that it be declared unlawful. She also filed a petition for the restoration of all her frozen bank accounts. The court granted a hearing on Alima Khan’s request to remove the anti-terrorism provisions under Section 7 ATA from her case.
Read more: Imran’s sisters detained after 10-hour sit-in outside Adiala jail
All 11 outstanding warrants against her have been quashed. A request to restore 15 of her frozen bank accounts has been approved for a hearing. Additionally, the process of seizing her properties in Punjab and Islamabad has been stopped. However, the court has stayed the process to seize her property in favor of the government.
The next hearing will include testimony from five witnesses. The impeachment proceedings lasted over an hour, during which the government’s counsel strongly opposed the cancellation of the warrants and the restoration of the bank accounts.
The high-profile hearing lasted over an hour, with the government’s lawyer strongly opposing the cancellation of arrest warrants and the restoration of bank accounts.
The court also requested arguments from both sides at the next hearing regarding two applications filed by her lawyer: one challenging the jurisdiction of the court and the other requesting the release of accounts.
The court has adjourned further hearings until November 26, the upcoming hearing will include testimony from five witnesses.
11 arrest warrants
Non-bailable warrants were issued on October 14, 20, 22 and November 4 after Aleema failed to attend the case. On October 14, the court also denied her lawyer’s request for exemption from personal appearance, noting that she should be formally charged in the case.
On September 18, the ATC granted interim bail to Aleema in the November 26 D-Chowk protest case, where Judge Amjad Ali Shah did not notice any clear evidence against her.
Aleema, sister of jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, was asked to post bail of Rs 50,000. and appear at hearings in the cases on November 26. These were later canceled by the court due to her failure to appear in court.
On October 24, the court issued orders to the Director General of NADRA to block Aleema Khan’s CNIC, due to her non-appearance despite issuing several arrest warrants, directed the Director General of Passports to freeze her passport and ordered the State Bank Governor to freeze all her bank accounts.
D-Chowk protest
On 13 November 2023, Imran Khan issued a “final call” for nationwide protests on 24 November, demanding the restoration of the PTI’s electoral mandate, the release of jailed party members and the rollback of the 26th Amendment, which he claimed had empowered a “dictatorial regime”.
Read also: TTAP stands with Imran’s sisters after the Adiala episode
The protest took place in D-Chowk, Islamabad where supporters traveled from different provinces to listen to Khan’s call.
The state rejected any possibility of negotiation and an operation was conducted against the protesters, prompting the PTI leadership to flee the scene. The protest ended with the operation on 26 November.
A notice was also sent to her bail bondsman summoning them to appear before the court and the court also canceled Aleema Khan’s bail.
Aleema Khan’s arrest
On Tuesday evening, Rawalpindi police took the sisters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan into custody, ending a 10-hour sit-in outside Adiala jail. The three sisters, Aleema, Dr. Uzma and Noreen, were transferred to Chakri and returned home later that night.
The sit-in had been staged near the Factory Checkpoint after the PTI founder and his family members, along with party leaders, were denied permission to meet at the Adiala jail on the day of a planned visit.
In a statement on social media platform X, PTI claimed that the police forcefully detained Imran Khan’s sisters while they were sitting peacefully outside the Adiala Jail.
The statement also alleged that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial minister Meena Khan Afridi, MNA Shahid Khattak and other party functionaries and workers, including several women, were subjected to violence and detained.
Around midnight, the authorities first dispersed male party workers involved in the protest. Subsequently, the Women’s Police Unit took the sisters into custody, placed them in a police van and transferred them to Chakri. After the action, the 10-hour sit-in was called off and the remaining workers dispersed peacefully.
