Imran’s sisters allegedly detained amid PTI crackdown

PTI has claimed that two more sisters of former prime minister and party founder Imran Khan, Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, were arrested or taken into custody on Monday.

The development comes a day after Imran’s sister Aleema Khan was detained for 30 days under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960. Her detention was ordered by the Lahore deputy commissioner on Sunday.

The alleged arrests come as authorities reportedly intensify action against PTI members ahead of the party’s planned September 27 protest and march towards Islamabad. PTI has announced the demonstration to demand Imran Khan’s release from jail and call for the supremacy of the Constitution.

PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram alleged in a post on X that Punjab police had taken Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi into custody along with their children and Aleema Khan’s sons.

Akram claimed that the family members were placed in an armoured vehicle and taken to an undisclosed location. The allegations have not been independently verified.

PTI lawyer Awais Younas Chaudhry also claimed that all three of Imran Khan’s sisters had been taken into custody. He said Uzma and Noreen had initially been confined to their homes before being taken away on Monday morning.

Chaudhry confirmed that Aleema had been detained for 30 days under the MPO law. However, he said he had not received official detention orders concerning Uzma and Noreen, making it unclear whether they had also been formally detained under the same law.

PTI strongly condemned what it described as the arrests, alleging that the action amounted to an abuse of authority and a violation of fundamental rights. The party also accused the authorities of political victimisation and termed the alleged conduct illegal and unconstitutional.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan’s son Kasim Khan alleged that his aunts, Uzma and Noreen, had been abducted. In a post on X, he claimed that authorities entered the homes of his aunts and cousins and forced them into vehicles without providing an explanation.

Kasim further alleged that no reasons had been given for the arrests and that the family had not been informed about their whereabouts.

The latest development has added to tensions surrounding PTI’s planned September 27 mobilisation. The party has been preparing for a countrywide protest and march to Islamabad, while authorities have warned against actions that could disrupt public order.