A Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court (ATC) has rejected Aleema Khan’s request to travel abroad. Aleema Khan, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, had sought exemption from personal court appearance to attend fundraising events for Namal University overseas.
The court, presided over by Judge Amjad Ali Shah, dismissed the plea after hearing arguments from both the defence and prosecution.
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The defence argued that Aleema Khan only requested a three-week exemption, citing a previous Islamabad High Court order to remove her name from the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL) and noting that the case challan has not been filed, so her court appearance is not mandatory at this stage. They also mentioned that similar exemptions have been granted in past cases.
In contrast, Prosecutor Zaheer Shah opposed the request, pointing out that Aleema Khan’s pre-arrest bail hearing is scheduled for 21 May, and argued that no exemption should be granted while a bail plea is pending unless for medical reasons.
The court was also informed that Aleema Khan faces 11 cases registered in Rawalpindi and has not yet been granted bail in any of them. The prosecution emphasized that under these conditions, her personal presence in court is compulsory, making her application to travel abroad inadmissible.
