ISLAMABAD: Aleema Khan, sister of the founding chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has challenged the indictment proceedings and the case registered against her in connection with the November 26 protest.
Following her legal move, the indictment proceedings were postponed. She also contested the jurisdiction of the court, asserting that it lacks the authority to hear the matter.
The court accepted her petition for hearing and subsequently cancelled the previously issued non-bailable arrest warrants against her.
In her petition, Aleema Khan maintained that the allegation against her is not that she participated in or organized the protest, but that she merely conveyed a message to Imran Khan. She argued that the Constitution grants every citizen the right to freedom of speech, and that simply transmitting a message cannot be categorized as an act of terrorism under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).
She further contended that if conveying a message is treated as terrorism, then the media, which also transmitted similar messages, should logically face the same charges.
This legal development marks a significant turn in the November 26 protest case. Earlier, the court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Aleema Khan, prompting her legal team to challenge both the indictment and the case itself.
With the warrants now cancelled, the court will proceed to examine arguments regarding the maintainability and jurisdiction of the case in upcoming hearings.
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