LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) granted interim pre-arrest bail to Aleema Khan, sister of former prime minister Imran Khan, in the Jinnah House attack case on Monday.

Ms Khan appeared before the court accompanied by her counsel, Rana Mudassir Omar.

The counsel argued that the petitioner was named in the FIR of the Jinnah House attack case due to political considerations and expressed concerns over her potential arrest.

He asserted that the petitioner was a law-abiding citizen who had committed no offense.

The counsel further stated that the petitioner was willing to cooperate with the police investigation to prove her innocence.

Judge Ijaz Ahmad Buttar granted the petition and provided pre-arrest bail to Ms. Khan until June 27.

The judge instructed the petitioner to submit surety bonds worth Rs100,000 and cooperate with the ongoing police investigation.

Additionally, the judge ordered the police to present the case record at the next hearing.

The Sarwar Road police registered the case of the attack on Jinnah House, which also serves as the residence of Lahore’s core commander, following the property’s vandalization during the May 9 riots involving PTI leaders and workers.

KHADIJA SHAH: The ATC on Monday requested further arguments regarding the post-arrest bail petitions of nine PTI leaders and workers involved in the Jinnah House attack case.

Previously, advocate Sameer Khosa concluded his arguments on behalf of fashion designer Khadija Shah, the granddaughter of former army chief Asif Nawaz Janjua.

The counsel stated that his client had been kept in illegal custody before the identification parade process.

Judge Ijaz Ahmad Buttar questioned the counsel on how the custody could be considered illegal when the court had sent the suspect/petitioner to jail on judicial remand for the identification parade.

The counsel argued that the petitioner’s identity had already been publicised through media reports, rendering the identification parade process useless.

He further mentioned that the police had failed to recover any incriminating evidence from the petitioner’s custody.

In response to a query from the court, the counsel confirmed that the police had not retrieved the petitioner’s mobile phone.

Judge Buttar expressed surprise, noting that the police had seemingly lost a crucial piece of evidence in the case.

The counsel continued by stating that the petitioner had not been named in the FIR, and her alleged role in the incident was unclear. He argued that further inquiry was necessary.

The counsel highlighted that the police had delayed registering the FIR by at least seven hours.

In response, the judge pointed out that the May 9 riots had also persisted for several hours.

The judge adjourned the hearing until June 19 and instructed the counsel for other petitioners to present their arguments.

Among the other female suspects are former MNA Alia Hamza, Sanam Javed, Tayyaba Abmreen Raja, Maryam Mazari, Irum Akmal, Sabuhi Inam, Khillat Aziz, Mumtaz Bibi, Huma Saeed, Ayesha Masood, Maha Masood, and Khadija Nadeem.

The judge also adjourned the bail petitions of 46 other male suspects involved in the Jinnah House attack until June 19.

The judge clarified that all the bail petitions would be decided simultaneously.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2023