ATC grants Aleema Khan exemption in protest case, hearing adjourned

The court will next hear the case a week later

Imran Khan’s sister Aleema has been exempted from appearing in court to face charges of protesting for her brother’s release last year. The anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi will next hear the case a week later, on September 2.

The Sadiqabad Police had registered a case against her after the violent November 26 protests in Islamabad. On Monday, Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court judge Amjad Ali Shah granted her lawyer Advocate Muhammad Faisal Malik’s request for exemption.

Aleema Khan is out on bail. However, her sons were arrested in Lahore last week. On August 22, police detained Shershah Khan, a day after his brother Shahrez Khan was taken into custody in connection with the May 9, 2023, riots. Family said plainclothes men intercepted a car driven by Aleema’s husband and took Shershah away by force.

Read: Lahore ATC sends Imran's nephew on eight-day physical remand in May 9 case

Aleema Khan condemned the arrests, saying they were aimed at silencing her family and PTI. Party officials also denounced the detentions, calling them unlawful and politically motivated.

In Lahore, another ATC remanded Shahrez Khan into police custody for eight days. He was arrested late August 21 from Aleema’s residence, with the PTI alleging the household staff was assaulted and family members harassed.

Police later linked him to the Jinnah House attack through supplementary statements filed in September 2023.

Defence lawyer Salman Akram Raja opposed the police’s request to keep Shahrez in custody for further questioning, saying arresting him 27 months after the incident was “ridiculous”.

He argued Shahrez was not involved in political agitation and had been in Chitral during the riots. He added that Aleema Khan had already been discharged in the same case.

Read more: Imran's second nephew arrested

Police acknowledged Shahrez was not wanted in other May 9 cases, though prosecutors maintained his name appeared in multiple records.

Defence lawyers argued he was being targeted because of his family ties to Imran Khan and the PTI has accused the government of persecuting Imran’s relatives and supporters.