— PTI leader says Aleema, Uzma and Noreen remain behind bars despite expiry of 30-day detention orders; LHC seeks explanation from Punjab home secretary and Kot Lakhpat jail chief
By Irum Saleem
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader and former federal minister Moonis Elahi on Friday called for the immediate release of Aleema Khan, Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, saying the three sisters of PTI founder Imran Khan continued to be detained despite the expiry of their 30-day detention orders.
“[Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi] remain in jail despite the expiry of their 30-day detention period. The political victimisation of former prime minister Imran Khan’s sisters must end, and they should be released immediately,” Mr Elahi said in a post on X.
His statement came a day after the Lahore High Court summoned the Punjab home secretary and superintendent of Kot Lakhpat Jail to explain why the three women remained in custody after their detention orders had expired.
According to proceedings before Justice Abher Gul Khan, the detention orders expired on Oct 19 and 20.
The court directed the relevant officials to appear on Oct 28 and explain the legal basis for their continued detention.
The three women were detained in September under Section 3 of the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, 1960, ahead of a PTI protest and march towards Islamabad.
Aleema Khan was taken into custody on Sept 20, while Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi were detained the following day.
The detention orders issued by the Lahore deputy commissioner relied on police and intelligence reports which alleged that their activities could be prejudicial to public safety and the maintenance of public order.
The detentions were subsequently challenged before the Lahore High Court. On Sept 25, the court declined to immediately suspend the detention orders against Uzma and Noreen and sought replies from the authorities.
The latest proceedings, however, have shifted the focus to the continued detention of the three women after the expiry of the original orders.
During Thursday’s hearing, counsel for the petitioners told the court that the 30-day detention period had ended but the women had not been released.
The petition seeking their release was filed by Aleema Khan’s son, Shahrez Khan. The court also questioned why the Lahore deputy commissioner had not been made a respondent. The counsel submitted that the detention notification issued by the deputy commissioner had already expired.
The PTI has rejected the allegations underpinning the detentions, describing them as politically motivated and part of a wider crackdown on the party and its leadership.
The issue has also previously come before the high court in connection with the treatment of the three women in custody.
Earlier this month, the court sought a report from jail authorities regarding the provision of medicines, clothes and other basic necessities to Imran Khan’s sisters following complaints about their access to essential items and meetings with family members and lawyers.
The government, however, has maintained that the detentions were based on law-and-order considerations and reports submitted by police and intelligence agencies, rather than political considerations. The original detention orders cited concerns relating to public safety and maintenance of public order.
The high court’s Oct 28 hearing is now expected to focus on the legal justification, if any, for keeping Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi in custody after the expiry of their original detention orders.
Moonis Elahi’s call for their release has added fresh political pressure on the authorities as the court examines the legality of their continued detention.
