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After Aleema, Imran Khan's two other sisters detained ahead of protest march demanding his release in Pakistan
Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi were detained for 30 days under Pakistan's Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance.
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A day after Imran Khan's sister Aleema's arrest, two other sisters of the former Pakistan prime minister were detained on Monday, police said.
Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi were detained for 30 days under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, ahead of the September 27 protest march announced by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party to demand Imran's release. Imran's nephews were also held.
Aleema Khan was arrested from her residence in Lahore on Sunday (September 20) under the MPO Ordinance and shifted to Kot Lakhpat jail. The police had also earlier taken four PTI activists and workers into custody. Imran has been imprisoned since August 2023.
What did the Lahore Police say on the arrests?
The Lahore Police, after taking action against Imran's sisters, claimed they were “prejudicial to the public safety and maintenance of public order”, PTI news agency reported. The MPO Ordinance allows cops in Pakistan to arrest someone threatening peace in any part of the country.
The arrest order for Imran's sisters also accused them of being involved in the May 9, 2023 protest, claiming they “motivated the workers to damage public and government property.”
“Moreover, they are again mobilising the workers through social media and public meetings to create a law and order situation, raising/chanting objectionable slogans amongst the general public against the government/institution in order to provoke and incite them,” the order stated. It said that multiple cases including 96/23 PS Race Course were registered against Imran's sisters, alleging that Uzma and Noreen were “potential dangers to public peace and tranquillity.”
“Such activists will give rise to a situation prejudicial to public safety and maintenance of public order, if left unchecked,” it added.
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Pakistan minister's warning for Imran's party
Pakistan interior minister Mohsin Naqvi on Monday warned Imran's party against the protest march. “We have clearly told them (PTI) that they can never achieve anything through such drama, and I will say again that there is still time; they should not go into this situation,” PTI news agency cited Naqvi as saying.
He warned the party to “not enter a dead-end street”, while adding that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf would not be allowed to “come to Islamabad and shut down the city for ten days.” “That possibility does not exist,” Naqvi added.
Imran Khan's party condemns arrest
In a post on X, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf condemned the arrest of Imran Khan's sisters, calling it a “blatant abuse of authority, a violation of fundamental rights, and an act of political victimisation.”
It said such conduct was “illegal” and “unconstitutional.”
