The Lahore High Court (LHC) has issued notices to the relevant authorities on a petition challenging the 30-day detention of Uzma and Noreen, while declining to immediately suspend their detention orders.
Uzma and Noreen were taken into custody on Monday under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960 (MPO), a day after their sister, Aleema Khan, was detained. The detentions of Imran Khan’s sisters and several other PTI leaders came ahead of the party’s planned nationwide protest and march towards Islamabad on September 27.
Justice Abher Gul Khan heard the petition filed by Sakeena Niazi, daughter of Noreen, challenging the detention of the two women.
Appearing on behalf of the petitioners, Barrister Taimur Malik and Advocate Rana Mudassir argued that Uzma and Noreen were non-political and had been detained without sufficient justification.
The lawyers told the court that Uzma had already been acquitted in a case registered against her and submitted a copy of the trial court’s acquittal decision as part of the case record.
They also presented copies of two recent orders issued by the LHC’s Multan Bench, through which preventive detention orders against two PTI-affiliated individuals were set aside.
The counsel requested the court to immediately suspend the detention orders issued against Uzma and Noreen.
Justice Abher Gul Khan, however, said the court would first obtain reports from the relevant authorities and hear their stance before deciding on the request for suspension.
The court subsequently issued notices to the respondents and sought their replies on the petition.
