A Pakistan court granted bail on Friday to former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sisters, Aleema and Uzma Khan, who were arrested earlier this month during a protest in Islamabad on alleged anti-terrorism charges, international media reported.
The bail for Khan’s sisters came just a day after his wife, Bushra Bibi, was released following nearly nine months in jail.
Aleema and Uzma Khan were arrested on October 4 during a protest organised by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and were charged under anti-terrorism laws in a case filed at Kohsar Police Station. They had contested their arrests, claiming they were unlawful.
Judge Abul Hasanat Zulqarnain from the anti-terrorism court in Islamabad approved their bail, requiring surety bonds of Rs 20,000 each.
During the hearing, the judge had cleared the courtroom of unrelated persons as lawyer Niazullah Niazi argued that the arrests were “illegal” since the sisters were detained on October 4 but were not presented in court until October 6.
On October 7, they were remanded to police custody. Their bail comes shortly after Bushra Bibi’s release in the Toshakhana corruption case. Following her release, she traveled to Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where PTI holds power.
Bushra Bibi was initially arrested on January 31 following a court’s conviction of her and Imran Khan to 14 years in prison for corruption linked to profits from selling gifts received from foreign dignitaries.
