WorldPakistan
Lahore High Court summons officials over detention of Imran Khan's three sisters
Aleema Khan, Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan are still in Kot Lakhpat jail although their 30-day detention under a public order law ran out on 20 October, their lawyer told the court.
Key points
- The Lahore High Court summoned Punjab's home secretary and the Kot Lakhpat jail superintendent for 28 October.
- Imran Khan's sisters have been held since September under a 1960 public order law.
- Their lawyer argued the detention became unlawful when the 30-day period lapsed on 20 October.
The Lahore High Court on Thursday summoned two Pakistani officials to explain why the three sisters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan are still being held, after their lawyer argued that the legal basis for their detention had expired.
Justice Abher Gul Khan ordered the Punjab home secretary and the superintendent of Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail to appear and file their replies on 28 October, a court official said.
Aleema Khan, Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan have been detained since September under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance of 1960, which lets the authorities take preventive action in the name of public safety. The petition was filed by Aleema Khan’s son, Shahrez Khan.
Rana Mudassar Umar, the petitioner’s lawyer, told the court that the 30-day detention period had ended on 20 October. “After the lapse of the period of 30 days on October 20, they could not be detained further as their detention is unlawful,” he said, asking the court to have the women produced before it and released.
The sisters were picked up as Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) tried to rally supporters for protests demanding his release. Khan, 74, the former cricket captain, has been in prison since 2023 and faces more than 100 cases, including corruption and incitement charges. He is held at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.
The case comes amid a wider crackdown on the party. This month the government imposed emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, suspending the provincial government run by Khan’s party and detaining its chief minister, Sohail Afridi, and other leaders. The PTI calls the cases against Khan politically motivated; the government says the law is taking its course.