A Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court (ATC) has dismissed a request filed by Aleema Khan, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, seeking permission to travel abroad.
The plea, which had been reserved for a decision by Judge Amjad Ali Shah, was rejected after arguments from both defence counsel and prosecution. The court had earlier reserved its verdict on Aleema Khan’s application requesting exemption from personal court appearance to allow her to travel overseas for fundraising events on behalf of Namal University.
The defence argued that Aleema Khan only sought a three-week exemption and cited a previous order by the Islamabad High Court to remove her name from the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL). Counsel Faisal Malik further stated that the case challan has not yet been submitted, and hence, her personal appearance in court is not mandatory at this stage. Advocate Ali Bukhari added that the court has previously granted relief in similar cases.
However, Prosecutor Zaheer Shah opposed the request, arguing that Aleema Khan’s pre-arrest bail application is already scheduled for hearing on 21 May. He maintained that exemption cannot be granted while a bail plea is pending, except on medical grounds.
The court was informed that Aleema Khan is currently facing 11 cases registered in Rawalpindi, and she has not been granted bail in any of them. The prosecution stressed that personal appearance is mandatory under such circumstances and that the application to travel abroad is inadmissible.
