Islamabad, Feb 11 (.) Upping the ante against the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf, courts in the country’s twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Tuesday night issued non-bailable arrest warrants in two separate cases involving senior PTI figures – Aleema Khan, sister of party founder and former PM Imran Khan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
In Rawalpindi, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Aleema Khan in connection with the November 26 PTI protest case registered at Sadiqabad police station.
ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah ruled that there was no legal basis for her continued absence, observing that she had neither appeared before the court nor filed a request seeking exemption from attendance.
Khan’s counsel, Faisal Malik, likewise had failed to appear at the hearing, prompting the court to proceed in their absence.
Accepting a request by Special Prosecutor Zaheer Shah to add NCCI official Salman Niaz as a prosecution witness, the court adjourned the hearing until Wednesday.
Earlier, the same court had dismissed Aleema Khan’s petition seeking removal of terrorism charges, rejecting her plea to challenge the court’s jurisdiction under the nation’s Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), as per Dawn.
Judge Shah ruled that the case fell within the scope of the ATA, declining the defence’s argument that protest-related allegations should not be tried in an anti-terrorism court.
Prosecutors alleged that Khan relayed a message from her incarcerated brother from Adiala Jail, who had called for nationwide protests against the federal govt, a move they claim contributed to violence during the Faizabad demonstration.
The Special Prosecutor argued that the protest, which soon turned violent, leading to clashes with police officers, ultimately resulting in injuries to both sides and gunfire striking a police van, were all actions which met the legal threshold for terrorism.
The prosecution further accused the defence of delaying proceedings through repeated adjournment requests, including citing a lawyers’ strike.
During earlier hearings, the court ordered the unfreezing of bank accounts belonging to the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust and Namal University, clarifying that the prosecution had never sought their freezing.
The November 26 protests saw PTI supporters march toward Islamabad despite government restrictions, leading to clashes with security forces in the Red Zone.
Multiple cases were subsequently registered under the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act at Taxila, Sadiqabad and Naseerabad police stations. Proceedings in the Sadiqabad case are ongoing before the ATC in Rawalpindi.
Separately, a court in Islamabad issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for KP CM Sohail Afridi in a case involving alleged defamatory statements against state institutions.
The case was registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Authority (NCCIA) under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016. Authorities allege that Afridi made misleading and damaging claims against state institutions.
During the subsequent hearing, senior civil judge Abbas Shah noted that the chief minister had failed to appear despite being summoned multiple times.
The judge ordered his immediate arrest and directed law enforcement agencies to ensure his presence before the court. Following this, the hearing was adjourned until February 21. . . .