Pindi ATC directs to unfreeze Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust, Namal University bank accounts
A Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court issued directives on Monday for unfreezing the bank accounts of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust (SKTM) and Namal University in Mianwali.
Judge Amjad Hussain Shah issued the instructions in a case pertaining to November 26 protests last year, in which incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, has been facing legal proceedings.
SKTM, a charitable organisation established under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860 of Pakistan, and Namal University were both set up by Imran. The bank accounts of the two institutions were said to have been inadvertently frozen following the issuance of an arrest warrant against Aleema in the case.
During today’s proceedings, Shah heard arguments on Aleema’s application for unfreezing her bank accounts. Representatives of the SKTM also attended the hearing and presented arguments in favour of restoring the bank accounts.
For his part, prosecutor Zaheer Shah clarified that the prosecution had never sought, either verbally or in writing, the freezing of SKTM’s or Namal University’s bank accounts.
He also pointed out that there was no court order specifically directing relevant authorities to freeze the bank accounts of the two institutions.
The prosecutor contended that the confusion over the matter originated from an order sent to the State Bank of Pakistan in which Aleema’s identity card number was referenced.
“The state bank conducted a data search based on her CNIC, and during this process, these accounts also came up,” he said, adding that they were subsequently frozen.
He further clarified that the prosecution had no objection to the unfreezing of SKTM’s or Namal University’s bank accounts, but also stressed that Aleema’s personal and business accounts, which were frozen under the same order, should remain blocked.
Following the completion of the arguments, the judge ordered the unfreezing of the bank accounts of the two institutions and upheld the court’s earlier decision regarding Aleema’s personal bank accounts.
Criticism over account closure
Earlier, a wave of criticism had erupted over the closure of the bank accounts of SKMT, as many feared that it could affect the supply of medicines and treatment for cancer patients.
SKTM operates the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centres in Lahore and Peshawar, with construction underway for a third location in Karachi. The facilities were established with the aim of providing quality cancer care to every patient, regardless of their ability to pay. Thousands of deserving patients have been receiving free treatment every day at these hospitals.
On the closure of bank accounts, SKMT had assured the public that efforts were under way to have the frozen accounts restored and that the hospital would ensure uninterrupted medicine supply to the 75 per cent patients who were receiving free treatment.
Meanwhile, some users on social media linked the matter to Judge Shah’s directives in the case against Aleema and claimed that despite being informed about patient-related difficulties and Aleema’s appearance in the court, he had not suspended his order. Similar claims were made about Namal University’s bank accounts as Aleema was a board member.
Nov 26 protest case
The case pertains to allegations brought under various sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) in connection with protests and unrest linked to last year’s November 26 protest.
The protest saw more than 10,000 PTI protesters surge into Islamabad, defying a ban on public gatherings and a lockdown to skirmish with 20,000 security forces enlisted to turn them back.
A day of clashes between security forces and protesters in the city’s Red Zone ended in the PTI leadership’s hasty retreat, with the party announcing that it was calling off its planned protest sit-in “for the time being”.
Subsequently, cases were registered against several PTI leaders under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the ATA. Two of these cases were registered at the Taxila police station and one each at the Sadiqabad and Naseerabad police stations.
Aleema, along with 10 others, was booked in the case registered at the Sadiqabad police station.
