Two more sisters of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) founder have been detained in Lahore for 30 days under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960, amid heightened action against the party ahead of its planned September 27 protest and march towards Islamabad.
The detentions follow the arrest of another sister of the PTI founder under similar preventive detention orders.
According to the detention order, the two women were considered a threat to public safety and the maintenance of public order. The order stated that they had been involved in protests on May 9 and had allegedly encouraged workers to damage public and government property.
It further alleged that the two had been mobilising party workers through social media and public gatherings and could contribute to a law and order situation.
The order cited multiple cases registered against them and stated that their continued presence in public could pose a threat to public peace and security.
The two women have been placed in custody at Central Jail Kot Lakhpat under the detention order.
The detentions have taken place amid growing political tensions ahead of the PTI’s September 27 nationwide protest and proposed march towards Islamabad. The party has said the demonstration is aimed at seeking the release of its incarcerated founder and demanding constitutional supremacy.
The PTI has condemned the detentions, describing them as a violation of fundamental rights and an abuse of authority. Party representatives have also called for an end to measures that could further increase political tensions.
The party has alleged that family members were taken into custody without adequate information about their whereabouts or the reasons for their detention.
The latest detentions are part of a wider series of preventive measures reported against PTI workers and supporters in Punjab ahead of the planned protest.
Several party workers and political figures have reportedly been detained in different districts, while preventive detention orders have also been issued against dozens of PTI workers under the MPO.
Similar security measures have been reported in Islamabad, where the party plans to hold its main protest activity.
The government has said it will prevent any disruption to public order during the planned demonstration. Existing court directives also restrict political parties and their leadership from occupying public roads, highways, interchanges, toll plazas and government buildings in Islamabad.
Authorities have maintained that security measures are intended to protect public movement and maintain law and order as political activity intensifies ahead of September 27.
