ATC orders to arrest Aleema Khan, produce before court on Wednesday

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Monday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Aleema Khan, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan, for the third time in the November 26 protest case, Aaj News reported.

The court issued a warrant for Aleema’s guarantor as well and ordered the seizure of his bonds.

Judge Amjad Ali Shah of the special ATC expressed his anger during the hearing of the case, saying that despite the assurances of the defence lawyer, Aleema had not appeared in court.

The court ordered the SP Rawal Division to arrest her and present in the court on October 22.

Nov 26 protest case: ATC reissues non-bailable arrest warrants for Aleema

The court also issued a show cause notice against the guarantor and sent the property documents submitted by him to the deputy commissioner Rawalpindi for verification.

It should be noted that the court indicted 10 accused, including Aleema, on October 15, while in the hearing held on October 8, their request for exemption from attendance was rejected and bailable arrest warrants were issued.

Case background

The case relates to the PTI’s November 26 protest, when the party supporters and leaders marched from Peshawar to Islamabad to demand the release of Imran. Imran’s wife Bushra Bibi and the then chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, were leading the march.

Clashes broke out between protesters and law enforcement agencies as they approached Islamabad, in which several people were injured. After this, dozens of cases were registered in various police stations in Rawalpindi and the federal capital on charges of terrorism, rioting and damage to property, in which Imran, Bushra, Gandapur, Omar Ayub and other leaders are also named.

Aleema is now facing a non-bailable warrant for the third time due to her continued absence in one of these cases.