Rawalpindi court issues Aleema Khan's arrest warrant in Nov 26 protest case

• Lawyer says Aleema won't appear in court until unfreezing of CNIC.
• Special prosecutor says suspect can't hijack, dictate court hearings.
• Court orders Rawal SP to arrest Aleema and present her in court.
  

RAWALPINDI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Monday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Aleema Khan in connection with the November 26 protest in the garrison town.

The warrant was issued over the continued absence of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan's sister at the hearings despite repeated summons.

During the proceedings, lawyer Faisal Malik stated that Aleema will not appear in court until her bank accounts and identity card are unfrozen. 

At this, Special Prosecutor Zaheer Shah contended that the suspect cannot dictate terms to the court or hijack proceedings.

He said that the court has ordered that the trial be conducted on a daily basis.

Special prosecutor Shah further stated that Aleema's behaviour has been irresponsible from the beginning. He questioned how her accounts and identity card could be unfrozen if she continues to avoid court appearances.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court rejected Aleema's request for exemption from appearing in person. The court also issued notices to her guarantor and adjourned the hearing until tomorrow (February 3).

The court ordered the Rawalpindi superintendent of police (SP) to arrest Aleema and present her in court by tomorrow. It also directed that her bank accounts and identity card remain blocked until she appears.

It may be noted that the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) had blocked Aleema's computerised national identity card (CNIC) and passport in compliance with a court order last year in October.

The case pertains to the November 26 protest in 2024, in which Aleema and 10 others are facing charges.

On November 26, 2024, PTI supporters entered Islamabad in defiance of a ban on public gatherings and clashed with law enforcement agencies near D-Chowk. Police used teargas to disperse the crowd.

The former ruling party’s three-day protests were abruptly ended after fierce clashes erupted between the law enforcers and the protesters.

The protest was aimed at building pressure on the government to release the PTI founder. The 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been behind bars since August 2023 after he was booked in multiple cases, ranging from corruption to terrorism, since his ouster from power via the opposition’s no-trust motion in April 2022.