An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Wednesday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Alima Khan, sister of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Alima Khan did not appear in court several times in a case related to the protests organized by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party last year. According to the English newspaper Dawn, the Rawalpindi-based Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has issued a warrant for Alima Khan once again not attending the hearing. This is the fourth time that the court has issued such an order against him in a case related to the PTI-led protests on November 26, 2023.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, ten out of eleven accused appeared in the court, with only Alima remaining absent. The court took note of his continued disregard of summons and directed the police to produce him before the next hearing.
In the last hearing, the court had directed Superintendent of Police (SP) Saad Arshad to arrest Alima and present her before the bench on October 22. The court had also ordered confiscation of his surety bond and examination of the property documents presented by his guarantor.
warning to police officers
Apart from the warrant, the ATC issued show cause notices to SP Saad Arshad and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Naeem for filing a ‘fake report’. The court personally summoned both the officers on charges of ‘contempt of court’.
According to the court’s observations, the police report claimed that Alima had gone into hiding. However, the court also said that he was seen in Adiala jail, where his brother imran khan She is imprisoned, and in recent times she had also appeared on many social media platforms.
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According to the report, the judge said, “The report presented before this court does not reflect the facts.” During the hearing, the ATC also confiscated the surety bonds of Alima’s guarantor due to his continued absence. The court directed him to submit a fresh surety bond of Rs 10 lakh as a condition of compliance.
Earlier, his lawyer’s plea for exemption from personal appearance was rejected. The court ruled that Alima was required to appear in person as she was to be formally charged in criminal cases related to the PTI protests.
Mass arrests…
In the protest on November 26, 2023, more than 10 thousand PTI supporters entered Islamabad, defying the government ban on public gatherings. They clashed with about 20 thousand police and paramilitary forces deployed to stop them from entering.
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Authorities took action against PTI leaders and workers after violent clashes. Pakistan Several cases were registered under various sections of the Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The ATC adjourned the hearing till November 24, and ordered the police to ensure the presence of Alima Khan. Along with this, it was warned that any further non-compliance will be dealt with ‘as per law’.
(With agency inputs)
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