RAWALPINDI: The Special Court of Anti-Terrorism Rawalpindi concluded the cross-examination of Aleema Khanum, the sister of the former chairman, in the case registered at Sadiqabad police station concerning the November 26 PTI protest.
A total of 13 witnesses have been fully cross-examined and one has been partially cross-examined in the case. The court adjourned the hearing until today (Tuesday). The defence lawyer will complete the cross-examination of the main witness and the plaintiff on Tuesday.
Aleema Khanum appeared in court on Monday along with her lawyer, Faisal Malik. Special Prosecutor Zaheer Shah and the prosecution witnesses were also present in court. During the cross-examination, there was a heated exchange between Prosecutor Zaheer Shah and the defence lawyer. The prosecutor objected to asking unnecessary questions to the witness, to which the defence lawyer maintained that it was their right to do so and they could ask any question they wish.
The lawyer for defence also played a news segment from a private TV channel dated November 27, 2024, 15 to 20 times in the courtroom, to which the prosecution objected, stating that the news was unnecessary and not part of the court record. The prosecution’s position was that, on the one hand, Tehreek-e-Insaf claims that Geo News was lying, while on the other hand, they present Geo News report as evidence. To this, Aleema Khanum said that the prosecutor was claiming Geo News was lying, to which the prosecution replied that she should make a statement that today (Monday) the Geo News was telling the truth. To this Aleema Khanum did not respond. The lawyer for defence asked the witness to identify Geo Pakistan anchors Abdullah Sultan and Huma Amir Shah, to which the court remarked that a witness cannot be expected to identify a news anchor and there was no reason for them to do so. The prosecution also questioned the its relevance. The court advised the defence lawyer to present authentic material rather than Geo News reports.
The defence lawyer argued that the Geo News broadcast reported that the protest had concluded by 4 a.m. on November 27, with participants having dispersed and left the area. Therefore, the incident involving Aleema Khanum at 7:30 a.m. that same day could not be linked to her, as she was no longer present at the location. The prosecution countered that the Geo News report referred to Islamabad, while the case against Aleema Khanum was registered in Rawalpindi, and the incident also occurred there. On this occasion, the prosecution reiterated that the defence should accept that Geo News is telling the truth.
The cross-examination was ongoing when the court adjourned the hearing until Tuesday morning. The defece lawyer will complete the cross-examination of the plaintiff. Earlier on Monday, as the court commenced proceedings, Aleema Khanum was absent. The court inquired about her absence, stating that proceedings could only continue in her presence. Her defense lawyer explained that she was required to appear before the Supreme Court and that he was attempting to contact her. After a half-hour break, the lawyer verbally requested exemption from court appearance for his client. The court, however, rejected the plea and directed that the accused must personally appear before it.
