A petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking the release of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s three sisters after the expiry of their 30-day detention period.
Aleema Khan, Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan were detained by authorities in September under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, 1960, as the PTI prepared for a planned protest march towards Islamabad.
Their detention was ordered for 30 days.
On Wednesday, Aleema Khan’s son, Shahrez Khan, filed a fresh petition challenging their continued detention, stating that the three women remained incarcerated at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail despite the expiry of the detention period.
The petition names the Punjab home secretary, acting as the grievance redressal commissioner, the inspector general of police, the Lahore capital city police officer and the superintendent of Kot Lakhpat Jail as respondents.
Filed through Advocate Rana Mudassar Umar, the petition stated that the detention orders were issued on September 20 and expired on October 19. However, the jail authorities had not released the detainees despite requests, it added.
The petitioner argued that their continued detention was unlawful and violated their fundamental rights.
The plea further maintained that the three sisters were not wanted in any criminal case and expressed apprehension that they could be implicated in what it described as false criminal cases if they were not released.
According to the petition, their detention was linked to their efforts to secure the release of their brother, Imran Khan.
The petitioner also argued that preventive detention could not be used as a substitute for ordinary criminal proceedings, claiming that the detention orders violated Article 10 of the Constitution and the safeguards provided under Section 3 of the MPO Ordinance.
The petition requested the court to direct the superintendent of Kot Lakhpat Jail to produce the three women before the court and order their release in the interest of justice.
It also sought a declaration that the detention orders were unlawful and void, along with an order suspending their operation.
The petition has been fixed for hearing on Thursday before Justice Abher Gul Khan of the Lahore High Court.
