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A petition has been filed with the Lahore High Court challenging the 30-day detention orders against three sisters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and seeking their immediate release.
The petition was filed on Monday by Shahraiz Khan, son of Alima Khan. He asked the court to set aside the three detention orders issued by the Lahore deputy commissioner against Alima, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi.
According to The Express Tribune, the legal challenge comes ahead of a protest planned by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on September 27.
The Lahore deputy commissioner issued the 30-day detention orders on September 20 under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance. Alima had already been detained, while Uzma and Noreen were detained on Monday.
In the petition, Shahraiz claimed that Alima was detained along with her driver, Muhammad Amir, while she was travelling for personal reasons. He argued that there was no gathering or situation at the time that posed a threat to public order or public safety.
According to the petition, Alima and her driver are being held at Lahore Central Jail. Shahraiz described his mother as a peaceful, law-abiding citizen and denied that she had engaged in any activity harmful to public safety, public interest or public order.
The petition also questioned the grounds for the detentions, alleging that the official documents did not contain specific or sufficient allegations against the three women. It further claimed that the orders were issued under political pressure and on the basis of verbal recommendations from police.
The deputy commissioner’s orders, however, cited reports from police and intelligence agencies. The documents accused Uzma and Noreen of involvement in protests and road blockades on May 9, 2023, as well as organising PTI supporters through social media and public gatherings. The activities were described by the authorities as potentially threatening public order.
Imran’s son Qasim Khan has also criticised the detention of family members. In a social media post, he alleged that his aunts Uzma and Noreen, along with his cousins Shershah and Shahraiz, were forcibly taken from their homes without an explanation of why they were detained or where they were taken.
Qasim later said Shahraiz’s children were safe, but alleged that two other relatives, Azim and Sakina, had also been detained.
PTI has protested the arrests of Imran Khan’s family members, with party leaders describing the actions as unlawful and a violation of fundamental rights. The authorities concerned have not responded to those allegations in the reports cited.
The petition challenging the detention orders is now pending before the Lahore High Court, with the case gaining added significance ahead of PTI’s planned September 27 protest.
Sources: The Express Tribune, ANI and The Times of India