11 arrest warrants have been cancelled, 15 frozen accounts will be restored and asset seizures have been suspended.
Aleema Khan appeared before a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court on Thursday for her hearing on November 26, 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, raising strong objections in the court. The prosecutor noted that more than a month had passed since charges were brought against Aleema Khan, but she had remained consistently absent.
During 11 hearings no request for exemption from attendance was submitted. The prosecutor added that her lawyer was also absent during the same period.
The prosecutor alleged that Aleema Khan had abused the bail system and that she and her lawyers had deliberately violated the law. He highlighted that on October 15 his lawyer had challenged the jurisdiction of the court and had publicly emphasized this issue in the media without appearing in court.
“13 arrest 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 not satisfied with the process or the investigation, she should challenge them through the corresponding 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 and not in the media.
The court noted that Aleema Khan was legally under arrest and had ignored all court orders. Even though his bail was cancelled, he failed to appear and multiple cases were registered against him in different cities.
The case being processed at 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 8th 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 all hearings. He requested that he be assigned suitable dates and times for his appearances. “There are around 200 cases filed against Aleema Khan, making it impossible to attend all the hearings,” 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 over the non-submission of fresh sureties. Malik assured the court that copies of the court orders would be provided and new bonds could be filed immediately.
He also emphasized that Aleema had appeared in court out of respect despite being ill and requested that the court consider her health or any other issue for exemption applications.
The court questioned why she had not challenged her failure to appear, the laying of charges, the court notices or the investigation at any stage. The prosecutor requested a written commitment from her and her lawyer to appear at the next hearing.
During the proceedings, Aleema Khan’s lawyer Tabish Farooq recited a verse by Faiz Ahmed Faiz: “We do not accept a constitution like this, nor a dawn without light”
The court wryly observed that the PTI lawyers seem “well versed in Faiz’s poetry”.
The court ordered Aleema to attend all future hearings punctually and warned him to be careful in complying with court orders. Aleema assured the court that she would attend future hearings and requested unfreezing of Mianwali’s account from Namal University.
The defendant challenged the applicability of the terrorism clause, Section 7 ATA, if applicable, requesting that it be declared illegal. He also filed a petition for the restoration of all his frozen bank accounts. The court approved 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 arrest warrants against her have been annulled. A request to restore 15 of his frozen bank accounts was approved at hearing. Furthermore, the process to confiscate his properties in Punjab and Islamabad has been stopped. However, the court suspended the process to confiscate his assets in favor of the government.
The next hearing will include testimony from five witnesses. The accused process lasted more than an hour, and government lawyers strongly opposed the cancellation of court orders and the restoration of bank accounts.
The high-profile hearing lasted more than an hour, during which government lawyers strongly opposed the cancellation of arrest warrants and the restoration of bank accounts.
The court also sought arguments from both sides at the next hearing on two applications filed by their lawyer: one challenging the court’s jurisdiction and the other requesting the unfreezing of accounts.
The court has adjourned new hearings until November 26; The next hearing will include testimony from five witnesses.
11 arrest warrants
Non-bail orders were issued on October 14, 20, 22 and November 4 after Aleema failed to attend proceedings. On October 14, the court also denied her attorney’s request for a personal appearance waiver, noting that she was to be formally charged in the case.
On September 18, ATC granted interim bail to Aleema in the November 26 D-Chowk protest case, with Justice Amjad Ali Shah noting clear evidence against her.
Aleema, sister of jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, was directed to submit bail bonds of Rs 50,000 and appear in the hearings of the cases on November 26. The court later canceled them due to her failure to appear in court.
The court, due to her failure to appear despite issuing multiple arrest warrants, issued orders on October 24 to the Director General of NADRA to block Aleema Khan’s CNIC, directed the Director General of Passports to block her passport and directed 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 jailed party members, and the repeal of the 26th Amendment, which he claimed had strengthened a “dictatorial regime.”
Also read: TTAP supports Imran’s sisters after Adiala episode
The protest took place at D-Chowk, Islamabad, where his supporters traveled from different provinces to heed Khan’s call.
The State rejected any possibility of negotiation and an operation was carried out against the protesters, causing the PTI leadership to flee the scene. The protest ended with the operation on November 26.
A notice was also sent to her guarantor, summoning them to appear in court, and the court also canceled Aleema Khan’s bail bonds.
Aleema Khan’s arrest
On Tuesday night, Rawalpindi police detained 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 taken to Chakri and later that night they returned home.
The sit-in had been organized near the factory check post after the PTI founder and his family members, along with party leaders, were denied permission to gather at Adiala Jail on the day of a scheduled visit.
In a statement on social media platform
The statement also alleged that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Minister Meena Khan Afridi, MNA Shahid Khattak and other party officials and workers, including several women, were subjected to violence and detained.
Around midnight, authorities first dispersed the male party workers involved in the protest. The women police unit later detained the sisters, put them in a police van and took them to Chakri. Following the action, the 10-hour sit-in was ended and the remaining workers dispersed peacefully.
