Court approves prosecution’s request to confiscate Rs 2 million from accused’s bail
Judge Amjad Ali Shah of the Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court issued a contempt notice for failing to pay Rs 80,000 in fines. The court also issued bailable arrest warrants for Aleema Khan due to her late appearance in court on Thursday.
The court approved the prosecution’s request to seize Rs 2 million from the accused’s bail and notified her guarantors to recover the amount.
The case pending at the ATC is registered at the Sadiqabad police station in connection with the D-Chowk protest on November 26, which includes charges of protesting against the government, chanting anti-government slogans, vandalism and stone-pelting.
Although Aleema and her lawyers did not show up at the scheduled time, they showed up with their legal team after the break. The court noted that the case had been called twice, but the accused had not appeared.
Aleema asked for permission to speak, stating that he had already given a statement to the media about the founder’s peaceful protest and questioned the need for witnesses.
Prosecutor Syed Zaheer Shah immediately urged his statement to be recorded, pointing out that since the accused was giving a confession before the court, the matter should be considered concluded.
Read: Water cannon breaks up Aleema Khan sit-in at Adiala jail
During the trial, defense lawyer Faisal Malik objected to Aleema Khan’s statement being recorded. Malik asked the court not to include the statement in the record.
The prosecutor responded by asking why it should not be recorded. Aleema Khan commented that she should be allowed to speak and questioned the delay if the authorities intended to imprison her.
Prosecutor Zaheer Shah told the court that the verdict had already been pronounced and that a new hearing had no legal basis, but suggested recording witness statements as a compromise.
The court ruled that there was no legal justification for a new hearing in the same court and upheld its existing orders.
The defense subsequently filed an application to mark attendance and the court issued a notice to the prosecution. Justice Amjad Ali Shah adjourned the next hearing till December 15.
Talk with the media
Aleema Khan said they “would not be intimidated by the water cannons” and insisted her followers “would not abandon their leader.”
Aleema was referring to early Wednesday morning, when police used a water cannon to disperse a sit-in she led outside Adiala Jail after authorities denied permission for a meeting with jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.
She claimed that Bushra Bibi had only been allowed 40 minutes of visits in two months, while she had only had one hour to meet the PTI founder. He criticized those who asked why the women were outside the jail at 2 a.m., saying they had been “peacefully demanding their rights.”
Read more: Negotiations underway as PTI sit-in outside Adiala jail continues
He alleged that “a few influential groups” controlled industries related to minerals, sugar and wheat, and that they could “import or export at will”, while the public remained “their subjects”.
He claimed that the PTI founder had been placed in solitary confinement and often told his followers that “if you remain submissive today, your future generations will be the same.”
Referring to comments made on television predicting a five-year sentence for her, she said the Constitution guaranteed her the right to freedom of expression. Aleema added that if force was used against them, they would “embrace martyrdom” and stated that “they were no longer afraid.”
He said those who “betrayed Pakistan” were those who called PTI supporters traitors, which he described as “a badge of honour”. He further stated that Imran “stood firm for the truth” and that his stance had “elevated Pakistan’s standing internationally.”
Also read: PTI says Imran ‘not a security threat’
D-Chowk protest
On November 13, 2023, Imran made a “final call” for nationwide protests to be held on November 24, demanding the restoration of the PTI’s electoral mandate, the release of jailed party members, and the revocation of the 26th Amendment, which he claimed had strengthened a “dictatorial regime.”
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.
