WEBDESK - NAYADAUR
Three sisters of jailed former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan have been detained in Lahore ahead of the party’s planned September 27 protest and march to Islamabad.
Aleema Khan, Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi were detained under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, with each detention ordered for 30 days, according to official orders and reports.
Aleema Khan was detained on Sunday after Lahore Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali Ijaz issued an order for her detention. Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi were detained early Monday and subsequently shifted to Kot Lakhpat Jail.
The detentions come as PTI prepares for a nationwide protest on September 27, with the party calling for Imran Khan’s release and mobilising supporters for a march towards Islamabad.
Authorities cite public-order concerns
The detention orders cite concerns over activities that authorities say could create a law-and-order situation.
According to the orders, the sisters were accused of mobilising PTI workers through social media and public meetings and of making statements that authorities said could provoke or incite members of the public.
The orders cited what officials described as potential risks to public peace and tranquillity.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said the government will take measures to prevent the planned march, while Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has also warned against violent activity.
The government’s position is that maintaining public order is the basis for the preventive measures.
PTI challenges the detentions
PTI has condemned the arrests and challenged the detention orders.
A petition was filed in the Lahore High Court on Monday by Shahraiz Khan, Aleema Khan’s son, challenging the detention of his mother and his two aunts.
The petition argues that the Lahore deputy commissioner failed to follow the procedure required under Section 3 of the MPO Ordinance and alleges that the detention orders did not contain sufficiently specific allegations.
The legal challenge means the courts will now consider whether the preventive detention orders meet the requirements of the relevant law.
PTI central information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram had earlier alleged that authorities had also taken other members of Imran Khan’s family into custody. Some reports initially said children were among those detained, although subsequent reporting indicated that Aleema Khan’s two sons had been released.
Security tightened ahead of September 27
The government has been increasing security preparations in Islamabad and surrounding areas ahead of the PTI protest.
Dawn reported that more than 22,000 security personnel were expected to be deployed in Islamabad amid protest calls, while containers were being positioned at various locations in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
The latest detentions follow Aleema Khan’s arrest on Sunday. Reuters reported that the Lahore administration ordered her 30-day detention, citing concerns that her presence in public could pose a threat to public safety.
PTI leaders have continued to call for supporters to participate in the September 27 protest.
The confrontation sets the stage for another major political mobilisation around Imran Khan, whose imprisonment has remained a central issue for the PTI and its supporters.