RAWALPINDI: A Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Thursday cancelled arrest warrants previously issued for Aleema Khan, sister of PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, in a case linked to the November 26 protest.
ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah withdrew the warrants after Aleema appeared before the court and submitted a compliance report. She was directed to furnish fresh surety bonds worth Rs1 million each, after which the warrants were formally cancelled.
The case relates to a PTI protest held in November last year. The court had issued arrest warrants for Aleema multiple times due to her repeated absences. She has consistently denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated.
At an earlier hearing, the judge had ordered the blocking of Aleema’s CNIC and passport and directed authorities to freeze her bank accounts.
During Thursday’s proceedings, Aleema filed an application seeking reversal of the freezing orders, including those affecting joint accounts associated with the National University of Modern Languages. She argued that the move had caused her undue hardship and lacked proper legal justification.
Judge Shah subsequently issued notices to the prosecution to submit their response, saying the court would determine whether the freezing orders were legally warranted. The hearing was adjourned until November 26.
The case involves charges under various sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) stemming from the PTI’s November 26 protest, during which more than 10,000 supporters entered Islamabad in defiance of a ban on public gatherings and clashed with around 20,000 security personnel in the capital’s Red Zone. The confrontation ended with the PTI leadership abruptly calling off its planned sit-in.
Multiple cases were later registered against PTI leaders under the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the ATA. Aleema and 10 others were nominated in one such case lodged at the Sadiqabad police station.
