ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi on Tuesday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Aleema Khan, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, after she failed to appear before the court despite repeated summons.
Judge Amjad Ali Shah of the ATC passed the order while dismissing her exemption plea, observing that “consistent absence from proceedings amounts to obstructing the course of justice.”
According to police officials, a team is expected to reach Adiala Jail, where Aleema Khan was attending a separate hearing in the Toshakhana-II reference, to execute the warrant once her court appearance there concludes.
The ATC had earlier granted her interim bail in September in connection with a case registered at Sadiqabad Police Station over the November 26 D-Chowk protest. The case includes allegations of rioting, vandalism, stone-pelting and chanting anti-government slogans.
At the time, the court had noted that there was no substantial evidence against her and ordered her to submit surety bonds of Rs50,000.
The D-Chowk protest traces back to Imran Khan’s call on November 13 for nationwide demonstrations demanding the restoration of PTI’s electoral mandate, the release of detained party leaders, and the reversal of the 26th Amendment.
The call culminated in a large gathering in Islamabad’s D-Chowk on November 24, where supporters from across the country assembled.
Authorities launched an operation against demonstrators two days later, dispersing crowds and arresting several senior PTI figures. The confrontation marked one of the most intense stand-offs between the party and the state since May 9.
Aleema Khan’s case is among several connected to the D-Chowk protests that are being pursued in Rawalpindi’s ATC. Police records show that 29 separate cases have been registered in the district, with Imran Khan named in seven and his wife, Bushra Bibi, nominated in all.
In total, bail has been granted to over 1,380 individuals, including senior PTI figures such as Ali Amin Gandapur, Azam Swati, Salar Kakar and Salman Akram Raja. The bail process, which began in May, concluded by the end of July this year.
Three other PTI lawmakers, Asif Khan, Sajid Khan Mohammad and one more legislator, were denied bail by another ATC judge, Tahir Abbas Supra, in September after they failed to attend hearings.
The cases, spread across multiple police stations including Civil Lines, Taxila, and Waris Khan, accuse PTI supporters of rioting, arson, and obstructing law enforcement during the November unrest. At Nasirabad Police Station, a separate case involves charges of firing, vandalism, and the killing of a police constable.
The protest turned violent on November 25 when clashes erupted at the Jandial checkpoint near Taxila. Constable Muhammad Mubashir, 46, who had been deployed from Muzaffargarh to assist Rawalpindi police, was critically injured and later died at District Headquarters Hospital, according to official reports.
The confrontation followed a string of similar skirmishes in Punjab as PTI workers attempted to break through security barricades on their way to Islamabad.
Police have maintained that most of the cases stem from “acts of violence and property damage” committed during these clashes. PTI leaders, meanwhile, insist the protests were peaceful and accuse authorities of political victimisation.
With Aleema Khan now facing a non-bailable warrant, police sources said her arrest “may take place immediately after the Adiala Jail proceedings conclude.”
