The Anti-Terrorism Court in Rawalpindi has dismissed a petition filed by Aleema Khan, sister of former prime minister Imran Khan, which sought to summon 21 individuals as court witnesses in a pending case.
Court Ruling on Witness Summons
ATC Judge Syed Amjad Ali Shah announced the reserved verdict on Wednesday, ruling that the proposed witnesses could not be summoned as it would duplicate an exercise already completed during the trial. The court noted that 19 prosecution witnesses had been extensively cross-examined.
According to the written order, the defense counsel had conducted lengthy cross-examination regarding video footage and newspaper clippings presented during the proceedings. The court held that summoning additional witnesses on the same issues would effectively repeat the same exercise and was therefore unnecessary.
Petition Details
Aleema Khan's application requested the court to summon 21 individuals, including Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, and Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari. The application also sought the appearance of editors and bureau chiefs from various newspapers and television channels.
Special Prosecutor Zaheer Shah opposed the application and presented arguments against summoning the proposed witnesses. Aleema's counsel, Faisal Malik, had argued in support of the application during proceedings last week. After hearing both sides, the court reserved its verdict, which was announced on Wednesday.
Rejection of Naqvi's Offer
Speaking to media outside the court, Aleema Khan also rejected Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi's offer to facilitate a meeting between Noreen Niazi and the former premier through a fresh application to the jail superintendent. Aleema claimed that PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar had conveyed Naqvi's message regarding a possible meeting between Noreen Khan and her brother.
She argued that submitting a new application to the jail superintendent would undermine a unanimous ruling of a full bench of the high court, as the jail superintendent is a lower-ranking official compared to the court's authority. Aleema stated that the proposal aimed to arrange a brief meeting before placing Imran Khan back into prolonged solitary confinement. "That is why we rejected the application," she said.
Legal Strategy and Rights
According to Aleema, their legal experts explained the "authorities' strategy" to them. She said the objective was to ease international pressure by allowing only a short meeting while maintaining existing restrictions on the PTI founder. She further stated that, under the jail manual, the PTI founder is entitled to constitutional and legal meetings with family members.
