The Lahore High Court has sought official reports from provincial authorities on a petition challenging the detention of Aleema Khan, sister of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan. The court’s move came after government law officers said the Punjab home secretary had already scheduled a review of her detention order for September 28.
Background
Aleema Khan was detained by police in Lahore on September 20 under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, 1960, and later shifted to Kot Lakhpat Jail. A day after her detention, her sisters Noreen Niazi and Dr Uzma Khan were also taken into custody under the same law, following a police recommendation.
The detentions came amid a wider crackdown on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ahead of the party’s planned countrywide protest and long march to Islamabad on September 27. PTI has called the march to demand the release of Imran Khan, who has been imprisoned since August 2023 on multiple convictions he says are politically motivated, a claim the government denies.
Details
Aleema’s son, Shahraiz Khan, filed a petition through Advocate Rana Mudassar Umar challenging the detention orders issued against his mother, her driver, and his two aunts. The petition argues that the Lahore deputy commissioner’s office unlawfully issued the orders and failed to follow the procedure set out under Section 3 of the MPO Ordinance.Justice Abher Gul Khan has presided over multiple hearings on the case. At an earlier hearing, the court sought further arguments on whether the petition was even maintainable, after counsel argued that Aleema had been arrested before the formal detention notification was issued, raising questions about the order of events. The court later declined to suspend the detention notifications against Noreen Niazi and Dr Uzma Khan while proceedings continued.
Quotes
Counsel for the petitioner raised concerns during the hearing that if the detention continued to run while the review process unfolded, the family would be left without an effective remedy in the meantime. He also told the court that the government appeared to be seeking delay, arguing that the family had no forum for immediate relief besides the judiciary.
Separately, lawyer Rana Mudassir told the court in an earlier hearing that the detention order was unlawful and inconsistent with the facts of the case, and raised concerns that medicines and clothes were not being allowed into the jail for Aleema. That concern led to a separate application being filed seeking permission for her to receive basic items along .
Impact
The case has drawn significant attention in Pakistan, both because of Aleema Khan’s family ties to Imran Khan and because of its timing just before PTI’s planned Islamabad march. Critics of the detention view it as part of a broader pattern of pressure on PTI figures ahead of major protests, while authorities maintain the action was based on specific police intelligence about public order concerns.
The outcome also matters for the wider question of how preventive detention laws like the MPO Ordinance are applied to political figures and their relatives in Pakistan. Rights groups and legal commentators have historically raised concerns about the use of such laws around politically sensitive dates, making judicial scrutiny of this case particularly closely watched.
Conclusion
With the Punjab home secretary’s own review hearing set for September 28, and the Lahore High Court now awaiting a formal report and reply, the coming days are expected to determine whether Aleema Khan’s detention continues, is modified, or is set aside entirely. The case is likely to remain tied to the broader political tension surrounding PTI’s planned march and Imran Khan’s ongoing imprisonment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Aleema Khan Imran Khan’s sister?
Yes, Aleema Khan is one of the sisters of Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan and founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Imran Khan has several sisters, and Aleema has often been publicly associated with the family’s political affairs over the years, including public commentary on her brother’s political career and, more recently, his imprisonment. Her son, Shahraiz Khan, is the one who filed the court petition challenging her detention along with that of two other aunts, Noreen Niazi and Dr Uzma Khan, who are also Imran Khan’s sisters.
Who detained Imran Khan?
Imran Khan has been imprisoned by Pakistani authorities since his arrest in August 2023, initially over the unlawful sale of state gifts during his time as prime minister. Since then, he has faced convictions in several other cases, including a corruption case tied to real estate dealings, a case involving leaking state secrets, and cases connected to the May 2023 riots and a November 2024 PTI protest. Khan and his party have consistently maintained that these cases are politically motivated, an accusation the Pakistani government and judiciary have denied, and some of his convictions and sentences have since been suspended or overturned on appeal, though he has remained in custody due to other pending cases.
What is Aleem Khan’s family background?
Aleema Khan comes from a well-known Pakistani family whose most prominent member is her brother Imran Khan, the former Test cricket captain who later became Prime Minister of Pakistan from 2018 to 2022. Imran Khan’s own immediate family includes his sons, Sulaiman Isa Khan and Kasim Khan, from his first marriage to Jemima Khan, alongside his more recent marriage to Bushra Bibi. Aleema and her siblings have periodically played visible roles in PTI-related affairs, particularly since Imran Khan’s imprisonment, with family members speaking publicly on his health and legal situation and, in some cases, becoming directly involved in legal and political developments themselves, as seen in this latest detention case.
