Imran Khan’s Sisters Uzma and Noreen Detained for 30 Days Ahead of PTI Protest
Imran Khan’s sisters Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi were detained ahead of the PTI’s September 27 protest.
Two sisters of former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan, Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, were detained for 30 days on Monday, days before the party’s planned September 27 nationwide protest.
The PTI protest comes amid reported actions against party workers and leaders in Punjab. The party says the demonstration will seek Imran Khan’s release from prison and call for the supremacy of the Constitution.
The detentions follow the arrest of Imran Khan’s other sister, Aleema Khan, after Lahore Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali Ijaz issued a similar detention order on Sunday.
Lahore Authorities Issue Detention Orders
According to an order dated September 20 and cited by Dawn, the Lahore DC ordered the detention of Uzma and Noreen under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960.
The order stated that the two women posed a threat to public safety and the maintenance of public order. It said authorities had considered evidence presented by police during a meeting chaired by the Lahore deputy commissioner.
Officials alleged that Uzma and Noreen had participated in the May 9 protests and encouraged workers to damage public and government property.
The order also accused them of mobilising PTI workers through social media and public meetings ahead of the September 27 protest. It alleged that they had raised slogans against the government and state institutions.
Authorities referred to multiple cases, including case No. 96/23 registered at Race Course police station.
The order described both women as potential threats to public peace and said their presence in public could create a risk to public order.
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Uzma and Noreen were ordered to remain in custody under the supervision of the superintendent of Central Jail, Kot Lakhpat.
PTI Condemns Detentions
PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram alleged on X that Punjab police had arrested Imran Khan’s two sisters along with their children and the sons of Aleema Khan.
Akram claimed that the individuals were placed in an armoured vehicle and taken to an undisclosed location.
PTI lawyer Awais Younas Chaudhry also confirmed the arrests, according to Dawn. He said Uzma and Noreen had initially been confined to their homes before being taken away on Monday morning.
The PTI condemned the detentions in a statement on X. The party described the action as a violation of fundamental rights and alleged political victimisation.
Imran Khan’s son, Kasim Khan, also alleged that Uzma and Noreen had been taken from their homes. He claimed that authorities entered the homes of his aunts and cousins and forced them into vehicles.
These claims have been made by PTI figures and family members and were not independently verified in the material cited.
Barrister Gohar Calls for End to Tensions
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan also criticised the detentions.
Gohar said the country did not need further confrontation and called for an end to political tensions. He argued that the arrest of PTI parliamentarians and their family members could further increase tensions.
He urged the state to change its approach and said the party was seeking justice and raising its voice for it.
Former Punjab Assembly member Seemabia Tahir also criticised the treatment of the family members. She expressed hope that the developments would encourage people to participate in the September 27 protest.
Aleema Khan Detained Earlier
Authorities detained Aleema Khan on Sunday under a similar order issued under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order law.
The September 20 order named Aleema and Muhammad Ameer and authorised their detention or arrest.
Following Aleema’s detention, Noreen Niazi addressed a press conference in Lahore alongside Aleema’s lawyer, Advocate Mudassir Umar.
Noreen alleged that police had taken Aleema and her driver after they left her residence on Saturday. She said the family later learned that Aleema’s vehicle had been taken to a police station.
Police sources confirmed to Dawn that Aleema had been taken to Kot Lakhpat Jail.
More PTI Detentions Reported
The latest detentions come amid several reported actions against PTI members in Punjab ahead of the September 27 protest.
Sahiwal police reportedly arrested former municipal corporation mayor and former PTI ticket-holder Asad Khan Baloch. PTI’s Sahiwal city president, Muhammad Shahid Chohan, was also reportedly arrested.
The party further claimed that MNAs Sanaullah Mastikhel, Ahsan Jamal Khan and Mian Ghous were taken into custody.
District authorities had earlier issued preventive detention orders against dozens of PTI workers under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order law. The reported orders included 31 workers in one Punjab notification and another 14 in Toba Tek Singh.
Similar reports have emerged from Islamabad, where PTI plans to hold a march on September 27.
The government has said it will prevent the march. The Islamabad High Court has also ruled that political parties and their leadership do not have a lawful right to occupy public roads, highways, interchanges, toll plazas or government buildings in the capital.
