ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistani authorities have detained the sisters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan ahead of a planned nationwide protest demanding his release, escalating a confrontation between the government and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Aleema Khan was arrested in Lahore on Sunday, September 20, and ordered detained for 30 days under public-order legislation. By Monday, September 21, PTI was reporting that Khan’s two other sisters, Dr. Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, had also been taken into custody, along with other members of his family.
The arrests came just days before a September 27 protest organized by PTI, which is calling for the former prime minister’s release from prison and greater respect for constitutional rights.
Pakistani officials have defended preventive detention measures on public-safety grounds, while PTI leaders and Khan’s family have challenged the arrests, questioning their legality and timing.
With the planned demonstration approaching, the detention of Khan’s relatives has added another point of dispute to Pakistan’s continuing political confrontation.
All three sisters ordered detained for 30 days
Lahore’s deputy commissioner issued detention orders under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960, a law that allows authorities to hold individuals when they are considered a threat to public order.
The September 20 order covering Aleema Khan also named her driver, Muhammad Ameer. Police sources confirmed to the Pakistani newspaper Dawn that Aleema had been transferred to Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore.
The order cited police reports alleging that Aleema and her driver had participated in roadblocks and demonstrations following Imran Khan’s arrest in May 2023. Authorities said their detention was necessary to maintain public order.
Separate detention orders were issued for Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, also for 30 days. The orders alleged that the two had participated in earlier protests and were mobilizing supporters through public meetings and social media.
These allegations are the authorities’ stated grounds for detention, not findings of guilt in a completed criminal trial.
PTI also reported that relatives, including children of Khan’s sisters, had been taken into custody. The exact number of additional detainees and their individual legal circumstances were not independently established in the initial reports.
Why is the September 27 demonstration significant?
PTI has called for nationwide demonstrations and a march toward Islamabad on September 27, with the central demand being Imran Khan’s release from prison.
The former prime minister has been incarcerated since August 2023 following a series of criminal proceedings. His party maintains that the legal cases against him are politically motivated, while Pakistani authorities have pursued the cases through the country’s courts.
Khan has denied wrongdoing in the cases against him. Although several of his convictions have been suspended or overturned, he remains imprisoned under a 14-year sentence in a land-corruption case, which he is appealing.
His family members have become prominent public advocates for his release, making their detention an additional focus of attention ahead of the demonstration.
The authorities have also introduced security measures aimed at preventing disruptions during the planned march.
On September 19, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the government would take the measures necessary to prevent the march toward Islamabad.
Government cites security concerns; PTI challenges the arrests
The Lahore administration has maintained that preventive detention is necessary to protect public safety.
In its detention order for Aleema Khan, the administration cited intelligence reports alleging that her presence in public could threaten security.
PTI officials dispute that assessment.
Party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the September 27 protest was intended to be peaceful and condemned Aleema’s detention. He also called for her release.
Aleema’s lawyer, Rana Mudassar Umer, questioned the circumstances of her arrest and maintained that she had already obtained bail in the criminal cases against her in Lahore. The lawyer also alleged that the preventive detention order may have been issued after she was taken into custody.
Those allegations have not been established by a court in the reporting reviewed for this article.
The conflicting accounts have brought attention to the distinction between preventive detention under public-order legislation and imprisonment following a criminal conviction.
Islamabad High Court issues directions ahead of the protest
The arrests follow a separate court ruling concerning the proposed march.
In a detailed judgment released on September 18, the Islamabad High Court ruled that political parties and public officials cannot occupy roads, highways, interchanges or public buildings in a manner that obstructs public movement and access to essential services.
The court also directed provincial chief ministers to ensure that government resources were not used for political demonstrations.
The ruling addresses the conduct and organization of demonstrations. It should not be interpreted as a judicial finding that the planned September 27 protest will necessarily turn violent.
The distinction matters because the government has raised concerns about maintaining public order, while PTI maintains that its supporters intend to exercise their right to peaceful assembly.
What happens next?
The September 27 demonstration remains scheduled as of September 21, while the detention orders covering Khan’s three sisters authorize their custody for up to 30 days, subject to any subsequent legal or administrative action.
The immediate developments to watch are whether the family challenges those orders, whether authorities provide further information about the reported detention of additional relatives, and what arrangements are made for the planned demonstration in Islamabad.
For now, the arrests have added a new dimension to Pakistan’s dispute over Imran Khan’s imprisonment, the government’s public-security responsibilities and the rights of opposition supporters to participate in peaceful political activity.
The legal status of the detained family members and the arrangements for the September 27 march remain matters requiring further reporting.
