Pakistan20 September, 20263 min read
Police Arrest Aleema Khan In Lahore Ahead Of PTI Protest March On September 27
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Aleema Khan, Imran Khan's sister, arrested at her Lahore home ahead of PTI march. Detention ordered for 30 days by Lahore district administration.
Aleema Khan detained in Lahore
Police arrested Aleema Khan, the sister of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, from her house in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, ahead of a planned PTI protest march on September 27 to demand his release. Al Jazeera reported that a deputy commissioner of Lahore issued an order seen by the outlet for Aleema Khan’s 30-day detention under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law of Punjab, and that her lawyer Rana Mudassar Umer said, "Aleema Khan left her home in the morning with the driver when the police illegally arrested her and took her to an unknown location."
The arrest was also described by ARN News Centre as being confirmed by a Lahore district administration notification that she was arrested and sent to jail for 30 days, with the administration saying, "her presence at any public place will pose a grave threat to public safety." Multiple outlets tied the detention to the PTI’s planned mobilisation, with Al Jazeera saying the arrest came exactly a week before September 27 and ARN News Centre saying it was made ahead of the planned protest march by Khan’s party on September 27.
PTI and government clash
PTI condemned the arrest and demanded Aleema Khan’s immediate release, with Al Jazeera quoting PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram posting on X: "This is not law. This is an illegal arrest. This is cowardice and a deliberate attempt to worsen the situation."
Al Jazeera also reported that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said the government would do everything it could to stop the PTI protest march, while ARN News Centre said Naqvi made the same pledge on Saturday.
ARN News Centre added that a close aide to Khan, Zulfi Bukhari, described the arrest as "absolutely despicable," and said, "The fear of the 27th protest is clearly taking its toll."
While Al Jazeera reported that there was no immediate comment from the government on the arrest, it also said the PTI condemned the detention and linked it to the party’s campaign around Imran Khan’s imprisonment and demands for his release.
Imran Khan’s health and next steps
The arrest unfolded as PTI continued to press for Imran Khan’s release amid concerns over his health, including his right eye that has required months of specialist treatment, according to Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera said the country’s Supreme Court ordered Pakistani authorities to transfer Khan to the privately-run Shifa International Hospital in the capital, Islamabad, and that under the order he was to remain there under medical care until the case was next heard, but officials instead took him to the state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for a brief check-up before returning him to jail.
In the immediate aftermath of Aleema Khan’s detention, The New Indian Express reported she was transferred to Kot Lakhpat jail and detained under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960, with Deputy Commissioner Lahore Muhammad Ali Ijaz issuing the detention order for a period of 30 days. The New Indian Express also reported that Noreen Niazi told Geo News she received information on Aleema being taken to Kot Lakhpat jail and said, "I do not know why they are so worried that they are arresting women as well," as PTI demanded Aleema be presented in court immediately.