Aleema Khan is seeking 21 people, including 2 federal ministers, a provincial minister, as court witnesses
RAWALPINDI:
An ATC in Rawalpindi on Wednesday dismissed a petition filed by former prime minister Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan seeking summoning of 21 persons, including two federal ministers and a provincial minister, as court witnesses in a pending case.
ATC judge Syed Amjad Ali Shah announced the reserved judgment on Aleema Khan’s application and ruled that the proposed witnesses could not be called as it would amount to repeating an exercise already done during the trial.
The court noted that 19 prosecution witnesses had been thoroughly examined during the case. According to the written order, the defense had also conducted prolonged cross-examination regarding video recordings and newspaper clippings presented during the trial. The court found that calling additional witnesses on the same issues would effectively repeat the same exercise and was therefore unnecessary.
Aleema had requested the court to summon 21 persons including Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari.
The application also sought the appearance of editors and bureau chiefs of various newspapers and television channels. Special Prosecutor Zaheer Shah opposed the application and presented arguments against calling the proposed trial witnesses.
Aleema’s lawyer, Faisal Malik, had made arguments in support of the application during the trial last week. After hearing both sides, the court reserved its verdict, which was announced on Wednesday.
Naqvi’s ‘Offer’
PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan said on Wednesday that the family rejects Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s “offer” to facilitate a meeting between Noreen Niazi and the former prime minister through a fresh application to the Inspector General of Prisons.
Addressing the media outside an anti-terrorism court, Aleema said PTI chairman Barrister Gohar had conveyed Naqvi’s message about a possible meeting between Noreen Khan and her brother.
She argued that making a fresh application to the Warden would have undermined a unanimous decision by a full bench of the High Court, arguing that the Warden was a lower-ranking official compared to the authority of the court’s decision.
Aleema said the purpose of the motion was to arrange a brief meeting between Noreen Khan and the PTI founder before placing him back in prolonged solitary confinement.
“Therefore we have rejected the application,” she said.
According to Aleema, their legal experts had explained to them the “strategy of the authorities”. She said the aim was to ease international pressure by allowing only a short meeting while maintaining the existing restrictions on the PTI founder.
She further stated that according to the prison manual, the PTI founder was entitled to constitutional and legal meetings with family members.
