Judge walks out after uproar in Aleema case

An anti-terrorism court judge in Rawalpindi left the courtroom after expressing anger over repeated

RAWALPINDI: An anti-terrorism court judge in Rawalpindi left the courtroom after expressing anger over repeated disruptions during the hearing of a case against PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan.

The case relates to a case registered over the November 26 protest. The hearing turned tense when the prosecution began questioning Aleema Khan and her witness about property-related matters.

During the proceedings, prosecutor Zaheer Shah questioned Aleema Khan’s witness, Fatahullah Barky, about whether he was aware of alleged properties owned by Aleema Khan abroad.

Defence lawyer Faisal Malik immediately objected. He argued that the question was not relevant to the case being heard by the court.The prosecutor then questioned Aleema Khan directly about alleged properties in Dubai and New Jersey.

Aleema Khan rejected the allegations. She said she did not own any illegal property.She maintained that the properties had been described as benami assets in an earlier legal dispute.

The prosecutor then asked whether the Supreme Court had imposed a fine on her in connection with the alleged benami properties.

Aleema Khan replied that former chief justice Saqib Nisar had issued a decision that, according to her, was contrary to the law. She further claimed that a tribunal later cleared her in the matter.

The prosecutor also asked whether she had paid a Rs30 million fine following the Supreme Court’s orders.Aleema Khan said that Rs29.4 million had been deposited. She added that the tribunal subsequently cleared her.

During the hearing, Aleema Khan asked the court to record her statement.

The court began recording her statement. However, the defence counsel raised another objection.The repeated objections and arguments created a noisy situation inside the courtroom.

Judge Amjad Ali Shah expressed strong displeasure over the disruption. He questioned the defence counsel over the objection and said that if the accused wanted her statement recorded, there was no reason for the court not to record it.The judge’s remarks came as arguments continued between the prosecution and defence.

The situation eventually became so tense that Judge Amjad Ali Shah left his seat and walked out of the courtroom.

The proceedings were subsequently disrupted and the hearing was adjourned.Further proceedings in the case will take place on a later date.

The hearing highlighted tensions between the prosecution and defence over the relevance of questions being asked during the proceedings