RAWALPINDI: On the orders of the Anti-Terrorism Special Court Rawalpindi, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Immigration, and NADRA [National Database and Registration Authority] officials blocked the computerised national identity card (CNIC) and passport of Aleema Khanum, sister of former chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The court also issued fresh notices to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) for failing to inform it about progress in freezing the bank accounts of the accused.
During the hearing on Thursday, Special Prosecutor Zaheer Shah appeared before the court along with the prosecution witnesses and the case file. The case pertains to a protest held on Nov 26, registered at Sadiqabad Police Station against Aleema Khanum and 11 others, accused of inciting violent demonstrations and obstructing government functioning.
Despite earlier arrest warrants, Aleema Khanum again failed to appear before the court. Consequently, the court issued a sixth non-bailable arrest warrant for her. NADRA and Immigration authorities formally submitted their compliance reports regarding the blocking of her identity documents.
The court also took up the matter of a vehicle involved in the case. Arif Khan, a resident of Rawalpindi Cantonment, who had submitted bail bonds for the vehicle, appeared before the court but failed to produce it. The court ordered him to deposit Rs1 million as a surety amount. When Arif Khan stated that he had no money or property, the court ordered his imprisonment until the bond amount was paid.
The court directed the deputy commissioner to ensure that the movable property of the guarantors of the four vehicles involved in the case is traced and seized, in addition to the immovable assets already confiscated.
The court had earlier ordered the confiscation of Aleema Khanum’s bail bonds due to her repeated absence, alongside directives to block her CNIC and passport and freeze all her bank accounts.
The hearing was adjourned until Nov 3 for further proceedings.
In another case, Justice Waheed Khan of the Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench granted bail to two accused arrested in connection with the murder of a married woman, Sidra Arab, in the Fauji Colony area within the jurisdiction of Pirwadhai Police Station.
The court ordered for immediate release of the accused — Rashid Mahmood, a gravedigger, and Saifur Rehman, a record keeper — upon submission of surety bonds worth Rs200,000 each. Both men had been arrested along with other suspects following the incident.
During the hearing, the court considered the arguments presented by the counsel of both sides before granting bail to the two accused.
According to police reports, 17-year-old Sidra Arab was allegedly strangled to death during the night between July 16 and 17 on the orders of a local jirga. Her body was secretly buried, and the grave’s markings were later erased.
A case was registered at Pirwadhai Police Station, leading to the arrest of nine accused persons, including the victim’s father, brother, father-in-law, husband, uncle, and the jirga head.
