LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Aleema Khan, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, was detained on Sunday under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance and shifted to Kot Lakhpat Jail, days before the party's planned long march on Sept 27. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)'s media cell claimed Imran Khan's sister Noreen Niazi was also arrested Sunday night. In Islamabad, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) sources claimed two Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members of Parliament - MNA Dawar Kundi, MNA Sanaullah Masti Khel, Senator Saifullah Niazi - have been arrested.
The three were taken into custody from Parliament Lodges and shifted to an undisclosed location. Reports of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers being arrested also circulated on social media, but the Islamabad police remained reluctant to confirm the arrests. According to a detention order issued by Lahore Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali Ijaz on Sept 20, Aleema Khan and her driver, Muhammad Ameer, were ordered to be detained for 30 days at Central Jail, Kot Lakhpat.
The order cited concerns relating to public safety and maintenance of law and order. Family and party sources said Aleema Khan was taken into custody while leaving her residence in Lahore's Upper Mall area with her driver. Her vehicle was subsequently taken to Lytton Road Police Station, while she was shifted to Kot Lakhpat Jail following issuance of the detention order.
Imran Khan's lawyer, Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, confirmed her arrest in a brief statement posted on social media platform X. Family sources said contact with Aleema Khan was subsequently lost, while reports initially indicated that her vehicle had been taken to a police station and that she was not present there. The detention comes as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) prepares for its Sept 27 long march, which the party says is aimed at demanding Imran Khan's release.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) condemned the detention, alleging that Aleema Khan had been "abducted" outside her home. In a statement, the party described the action as illegal and accused the government of deliberately worsening the political situation ahead of Sept 27. The party demanded Aleema Khan's immediate release, disclosure of her whereabouts and her safe production before a competent court.
It also called for an end to what it described as intimidation of Imran Khan's family. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said the detention of an elderly woman, who is the sister of the imprisoned former prime minister, was unjustified and questioned why a woman was being detained if the government maintained that women were a "red line". Noreen Khan, another sister of Imran Khan, said Aleema Khan had been taken into custody along with her driver and vehicle when she left home in the morning.
She said the family later learned that Aleema's car was parked at a police station. "This is all pressure ahead of Sept 27, which will be a historic day," Noreen said, adding that the arrest would not deter the family or Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters from participating in the planned movement. She also alleged that Imran Khan was being unjustly imprisoned and was not receiving adequate medical treatment.
"If they think arresting Aleema Khan will frighten us, they are mistaken," she said. Meanwhile, Tehreek Tahaffuz Aiyeen-e-Pakistan (Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP)) on Sunday constituted a six-member committee to consult political parties and reach consensus on the agenda and way forward for a proposed multi-party conference (MPC). The opposition alliance had announced the proposed moot earlier this month and formally approved the proposal at a meeting of party heads held recently.
In a post on social media platform X, Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) announced the formation of the committee comprising Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) Secretary General Asad Qaiser, Vice Chairman Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, spokesman Akhunzada Hussain and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Core Committee member Khalid Yousaf. According to the alliance's statement, the committee will liaise with other political parties, consult them on the agenda for the proposed conference and work towards reaching agreement on future course of action.
A related notification said the committee would continue the consultation and coordination process under the guidance of Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) leadership. Also, Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) condemned Aleema Khan's detention. The opposition alliance said detaining a member of Imran Khan's family who was not, according to its account, involved in any public disturbance amounted to political victimisation.
Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) spokesman Akhunzada Hussain said the government, particularly the Punjab government, should release Aleema Khan and refrain from targeting political opponents and their families. He argued that responding to political dissent through arrests rather than dialogue and democratic processes would further worsen the country's political climate. He said political differences should not reach a point where women of political leaders' families were targeted through state action.
Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas also condemned Aleema Khan's detention, saying she had not been leading a protest when she was taken into custody. In a statement, he said the action appeared linked to the Sept 27 protest and argued that detaining a woman would not discourage people from participating in the planned activity. Raja Nasir Abbas later spoke by telephone with Noreen Khan and expressed solidarity with the sisters.