Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi detained under public order law ahead of planned PTI protests demanding Khan’s release.
Three sisters of Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan have been detained in Lahore under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, as authorities move to contain planned nationwide protests by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Aleema Khan was taken into custody on Sunday after Lahore’s deputy commissioner ordered her 30-day detention, citing intelligence reports that her presence at public places posed a “grave threat to public safety.” She was later shifted to Kot Lakhpat Jail.
Imran Khan’s Sisters Detained Ahead of PTI Protest:
On Monday, her sisters Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi were also detained for 30 days under the same provision of the Punjab MPO Ordinance. Police sources said the two were taken from Aleema Khan’s residence along with other family members. The children and nephews were later released, while Uzma and Noreen were transferred to Kot Lakhpat Jail in the early hours of Monday.
The detentions come a week before PTI’s planned countrywide protests and a march to the capital, Islamabad, on September 27. The party has called the demonstrations to demand Imran Khan’s release from Adiala Jail, where he has been held since 2023 on multiple charges, and to press for the supremacy of the constitution.
PTI officials described the arrests as illegal and an act of political victimisation. Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said Punjab police had arrested the sisters “along with their children and the sons of Aleema Khan” and placed them in an armoured vehicle bound for an unknown location.
“This is a blatant abuse of authority, a violation of fundamental rights, and an act of political victimisation,” Akram wrote on X.
Imran Khan’s son Kasim Khan also condemned the moves, calling the detention of his aunts “a disgrace.”
PTI Sisters Face 30-Day Detention:
Authorities justified the detentions on the grounds that the sisters were “prejudicial to the public safety and maintenance of public order.” Official orders referenced previous involvement in protests and alleged efforts to mobilise supporters through social media and public meetings. The MPO Ordinance allows preventive detention without immediate judicial oversight for up to 30 days, with the possibility of representation to the provincial government.
Aleema Khan, a frequent public critic of her brother’s imprisonment, has regularly addressed media and supporters outside Adiala Jail and at other gatherings. Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi have similarly spoken out in defence of the former prime minister and against what PTI describes as a broader crackdown on the party.
The arrests form part of a wider pattern of detentions of PTI leaders and activists ahead of the September 27 mobilisation. Party workers have accused the government of attempting to silence dissenting voices and prevent large-scale demonstrations in support of the imprisoned former cricket star-turned-politician.
Imran Khan was ousted from power in 2022 through a parliamentary no-confidence vote and has faced a series of legal cases since then. He and his supporters maintain that the charges are politically motivated and designed to keep him out of electoral politics.
As of Monday, all three sisters remained in Kot Lakhpat Jail under the 30-day detention orders. PTI has demanded their immediate release and vowed to proceed with the planned protests.