Court issues Aleema Khan's non-bailable arrest warrant over repeated absence

• ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah conducts hearing.
• Court orders Rawal SP to arrest and present Aleema.
• Judge notes delay in trial due to Aleema's "irresponsibility".

RAWALPINDI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Monday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Aleema Khan after she failed to appear for a hearing in a case registered over the November 26 protest.

The court rejected the application filed by the sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, seeking an exemption from attendance, ruling that there was no reasonable justification for her absence.

ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah conducted the hearing.

The judge observed that the trial had already been delayed and noted that witnesses had been required to appear 37 times due to Aleema's "irresponsibility".

The court also directed the Rawal superintendent of police (SP) to ensure compliance with the arrest warrant, and adjourned further proceedings in the case until tomorrow.

This is not the first time orders for Aleema's arrest and production have been issued.

The Rawalpindi ATC has released multiple arrest warrants recently over her repeated absence during the proceedings in the same case.

The most recent was issued on February 2, when her lawyer contended that Aleema would not appear in court until her bank accounts and identity card are unfrozen. 

However, the court had directed the police to arrest and present her, while the bank account and identity card could remain blocked 

Her computerised national identity card (CNIC) and passport had been blocked by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) in October last year in compliance with a court order.

The case pertains to the 2024 November 26 protest in the garrison town, 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.