ATC dismisses Aleema Khan’s pleas seeking permission to travel abroad

RAWALPINDI: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday dismissed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan’s petitions seeking permission to travel abroad.

The ATC judge, Amjad Ali, while announcing his reserved judgment rejected Aleema Khan’s request to grant her exemption from personal court appearance and permission to travel abroad in May 9 cases.

PTI founding chairman’s sisters’ legal team, Faisal Malik and Ali Bukhari, presented invitation documents to support her petition, stating that she intended to travel for charitable fundraising purposes.

However, Prosecutor Syed Zaheer Shah opposed the plea, arguing that Aleema Khan is currently on interim bail and has already filed a pre-arrest bail application, which is scheduled for hearing on May 21.

He informed the court that she is facing at least 11 cases in Rawalpindi and has not been granted bail in any of them. He emphasised that exemption from court appearance and bail proceedings are two distinct legal processes, and exemption in a pre-arrest bail case is only justified on medical grounds.

The prosecution further contended that Aleema Khan is not a member of the “Friends of Charity” organization she cited in her petition, and that the organisation has already raised substantial funds—over $400,000 in recent weeks in her absence.

It was also noted that she holds no primary role in the fundraising system of institutions like Shaukat Khanum or Namal University, both of which are capable of operating without the presence of any individual.

The prosecution expressed concern that allowing her to travel abroad could delay court proceedings, indicating a lack of seriousness in engaging with the legal process.

Following these arguments, the court not only dismissed her requests but also sought detailed information about the cases filed against her. It was revealed that Aleema Khan faces at least 12 FIRs related to the November protests and has not yet joined the investigation in any of those cases.

Meanwhile, the ATC has adjourned the hearing of the GHQ attack case until May 22. Additionally, hearings for 11 other cases related to the events of May 9 have been postponed until May 24.

The court granted permission for the accused to mark their attendance and leave. PTI leaders including Zartaj Gul, Kanwal Shauzab, and Sheikh Rasheed chief of his own faction as well as other accused individuals, appeared before the court.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025