Imran Khan’s sisters Uzma, Noreen released after 53 days in detention

Aleema Khan remains behind bars as lawyers seek withdrawal of her separate detention order, while family questions legality of sisters’ 53-day imprisonment without charges or trial.

Hamid Khan Wazir

LAHORE: In a significant development, two sisters of incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, were released from Kot Lakhpat Jail on Thursday following the withdrawal of their extended detention orders under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law. Their third sister, Aleema Khan, however, remains in custody.

The releases came a day after PTI lawyers Sardar Latif Khosa and Barrister Salman Safdar met Imran Khan at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi following an Islamabad High Court order. Uzma and Noreen had spent around 50 days in detention under the MPO law. PTI legal counsel Rana Mudassar Umer confirmed their release, saying the two women had returned home safely after spending 53 days in detention without being formally charged or put on trial.

In a post on X, Umer said the authorities had withdrawn the joint detention order against Uzma and Noreen ahead of a scheduled court hearing. The lawyers had challenged the order in the Lahore High Court after the initial 30-day detention period expired and the Punjab government extended their custody for another month. PTI lawyer Taimur Malik also confirmed their release, describing the detention orders as unlawful and calling for the immediate release of all other individuals held under similar orders.

Aleema Khan remains in custody

While Uzma and Noreen have been released, Aleema Khan continues to remain behind bars as her legal team pursues the withdrawal of her separate detention order.

Malik said the lawyers were seeking the release of all those detained under the MPO orders without waiting for the next hearing of their petitions. He argued that the deputy commissioner had no legal justification for issuing the detention orders and would be unable to defend them before the court. He also pointed out that several other individuals detained around the same time had already been released.

Meanwhile, Umer said petitions seeking an early hearing of the constitutional challenges to the detention of Aleema, Uzma and Noreen had yet to be taken up by the court. According to him, the hearing scheduled for November 10 could not take place because the court was on leave, and no fresh date had been fixed.

Noreen’s son questions 53-day detention

Reacting to the release, Noreen’s son, Wali, questioned both the detention and subsequent release of his mother and aunt, saying they had spent 53 days in Kot Lakhpat Jail without facing any charges or trial.

In a post on X, he said the two women had been released without any explanation from the authorities, despite being held under Section 3 of the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960. He also raised concerns over his mother's health, saying that Noreen, who is in her seventies, had been transferred to a cardiac hospital two weeks earlier without the family being informed.

Wali called for judicial accountability over the decisions to detain and subsequently release the two women, arguing that neither action had been properly explained. He also demanded the release of Aleema Khan, Imran Khan and other individuals detained under the MPO law, urging the authorities to either produce charges against those held or set them free. "Charge them or release them," he wrote.

Government rules out deal with PTI

Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Thursday ruled out “any possibility of leniency, a deal or any concession” for PTI, rejecting speculation about backchannel contacts with the party over its founder Imran Khan's legal cases.

Speaking on a private news channel concerning the meeting between PTI lawyers and party founder Imran at Adiala jail on Wednesday, the minister said, “I strongly reject the notion that there are any back-channel contacts with the PTI that could affect the legal matters currently pending before the courts, or that there is any possibility of leniency, a deal or any concession from the government.”

“There is no room for any such arrangement,” he added. “The assumptions and speculation that some kind of change is taking place are baseless. Most of these assumptions are based on wishes and desires," he said. He said the government had repeatedly invited the PTI to sit down for talks, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also extended an invitation for negotiations.

Noreen shifted to cardiac hospital

Noreen's health had become a matter of concern during her imprisonment. On October 28, she was transferred from Kot Lakhpat Jail to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), Lahore, following a deterioration in her health and complaints of high blood pressure. Her legal counsel, Rana Mudassar Umer, announced the transfer on X, saying she had been moved to the hospital because of her deteriorating condition in custody. He alleged that the family had not been informed about her medical condition or the transfer.

PTI also condemned the authorities for shifting Noreen to the hospital without notifying her family, expressing serious concern over the treatment and health of political detainees. However, the government maintained that she was receiving appropriate medical care. On October 29, Prime Minister's Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah informed the Senate that Noreen was fine and that her medical tests had returned normal.

Sisters detained ahead of PTI protest

The three sisters were detained in September under Section 3 of the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960, as the PTI prepared for a planned protest march towards Islamabad.

Aleema Khan was arrested on September 20, while Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi were detained subsequently. The Lahore deputy commissioner initially issued 30-day detention orders against them. Following the expiry of the initial detention period, the orders were challenged before the Lahore High Court. The Punjab government subsequently informed the court that the detention of the three women had been extended for another 30 days.

The arrests came amid heightened political tensions surrounding the PTI's protest plans and its continued demand for the release of Imran Khan, who has remained behind bars since August 2023 after serving as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. With Uzma and Noreen now released, attention has shifted to the legal proceedings concerning Aleema Khan and other individuals still detained under the MPO law.