Incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan’s Aleema and Uzma were freed from Jhelum Jail on Friday after their release orders were issued following bail in a case on the PTI’s protest in Islamabad.
“We will come out when Imran Khan calls for protest,” Aleema told reporters after coming out. “Other female inmates were not allowed to talk to us.”
A large number of PTI supporters had gathered outside the district jail to welcome them. Family members of Aleema Khan and Uzma Khan were also present at the scene.
Noreen Niazai, another sister of Khan, slammed the government for registering “bogus cases” against her sisters and her brother.
“The government should apologise to us,” she said.
Earlier in the day, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad granted bail to Aleema and Uzma in two cases registered at the Kohsar Police Station. They had been detained during a protest at the D-Chowk while Section 144 was in effect.
Section 144 is a legal measure that prohibits gatherings of four or more people in an area to maintain public order and prevent unrest.
They were among several PTI supporters arrested earlier this month for protest in the federal capital.
Both sisters appeared in court following the completion of their physical remand. On October 10, the Islamabad ATC extended their remand for an additional two days.
Lawyers Niazullah Niazi, Ansar Mahmood Kiyani, and others represented Aleema and Uzma in court.
Prosecutor Raja Naveed opposed the bail application, stating that a megaphone was seized from the suspects, which was allegedly used to incite disorder among party workers. He also mentioned that there is video evidence of the sisters at the time of their arrest.
In response to the prosecutor’s allegations that Aleema and Uzma incited chaos during a protest, lawyer Niazullah Niazi challenged the claims in court.
“There is not a single video showing them inciting chaos; they are simply being targeted for political revenge,” argued lawyer Ansar Mahmood Kiyani.
Later, the court granted them bail on surety bonds of Rs20,000 each.
Judge Abu Al-Hasanat Zulqarnain gave the release orders. Both of them had been in custody since October 4 in connection with the Kohsar Police Station case.
