Al-Qadir Trust case: Aleema slams delay in hearing appeals of IK, spouse

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan on Friday criticised the delay in hearing the appeals of Khan and his wife in the Al-Qadir Trust case, claiming that if the Islamabad High Court (IHC) takes up the matter, bail would be granted within minutes.

Speaking to reporters outside an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) after attending proceedings in the November 26 protest case, Aleema alleged that the Al-Qadir Trust case is being deliberately kept off the court’s roster.

“Our lawyer Salman Safdar says this is a three-minute case,” she said, insisting that both Khan and his wife would be granted bail as soon as the case is heard.

Aleema went on to allege that the case is so weak that, if legal arguments are presented, criminal proceedings could potentially be initiated against Judge Nasir Javed Rana - the judge who had sentenced Khan to 14 years in prison and his wife Bushra Bibi to seven years in the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) scam, commonly known as the Al-Qadir Trust case.

She also voiced dissatisfaction with the Islamabad Bar Association (IBA) president, saying that lawyers have expressed no confidence in IBA president, Wajid Gilani. Criticising what she called political double standards, she said, “You ask for votes by making promises, and then go on to support the 26th Constitutional Amendment.”

Aleema appealed to lawyers across the country to stand up for the rule of law, saying, “We consider you our leaders when it comes to defending justice”, adding that “today, I am telling the legal community that the law is being buried.”

Khan’s sister urged the legal community once again to take a stand, especially in the wake of the 26th Amendment, warning that the 27th is coming. “If anything remains in burying the constitution and the rule of law that will be completed with another amendment,” she cautioned.

Earlier, she, along with PTI leaders, appeared before ATC judge Amjad Ali Shah in cases registered in connection with the November 26 protest.

Khan’s sister and PTI’s Punjab chief organiser Aliya Hamza appeared before the court along with their lawyers. Aliya Hamza appeared before the court in four cases registered against her in connection with PTI’s November 26 protest.

The court extended Aliya Hamza’s interim bail until June 27, while the interim bail of Aleema Khan was extended till June 26 in a case registered against her at Sadiqabad police station.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025