Pakistan court seeks officials appearance over detention of Imran Khan’s three sisters

A Pakistani court on Thursday summoned two government officials in connection with the detention of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's three sisters, a court official said.

The Lahore High Court (LHC) issued the summons for October 28 after a petition challenged the continued detention of Aleema Khan, Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail.

The three sisters have been detained since September under a public order law, which allows authorities to take preventive measures to maintain public safety.

The petition was filed by Aleema Khan's son, Shahrez Khan, challenging the detention of Imran Khan’s three sisters under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960.

Rana Mudassar Umar, counsel for the petitioner, told the court that the three sisters remained in jail despite the expiry of the 30-day detention period on October 20.

“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, urging the court to direct the jail superintendent to produce the detainees before it and release them.

LHC Justice Abher Gul Khan summoned the Punjab home secretary and the Kot Lakhpat jail superintendent to appear at the next hearing and submit their replies on October 28, the court official said.

The detentions came amid efforts by Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to mobilise supporters for protests demanding their party founder's release.

Khan, the 74-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician, has been incarcerated since 2023 and faces more than 100 cases, including corruption and charges related to inciting violence. He is lodged at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

Khan’s party has repeatedly demanded his release, describing the cases against him as politically motivated, while the government has maintained that legal proceedings against him are being conducted under the law.

The detention of Imran Khan's three sisters also comes amid a wider crackdown on the party's activities, following the imposition of emergency and governor's rule in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province this month, suspending the provincial government led by Khan's party and the detention of its chief minister, Sohail Afridi, and other leaders.