Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan has been arrested in Lahore, just days before the party’s planned protest march in Islamabad. Her arrest is part of a political tension in Pakistan in which PTI is preparing for a September 27 demonstration demanding the release of Imran Khan from prison.
Aleema Khan was taken into custody in Lahore on Sunday, September 20, PTI representatives and Pakistani media reports said. Lahore’s district administration then ordered her detained for 30 days under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance.
Imran Khan’s party and supporters have strongly protested this detention. PTI has called it wrong and questioned the timing of the move, just one week before its march to Islamabad. The party has said its September 27 protest is to push for the release of Imran Khan and to highlight what it says is a need for constitutional principles and the rule of law.
According to reports, Aleema Khan was moved to Kot Lakhpat Jail after the detention order was issued. The order identified Aleema Khan and a man named Muhammad Ameer under the provincial public order law as her detention and a separate order was issued to them. Her lawyer and family members have also spoken about her detention while PTI leaders have demanded information about her situation and called for her release.
The Pakistani government has taken a firm stand ahead of the PTI march. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said authorities would take steps to prevent the protest, and government officials have indicated that illegal activities or violence in Islamabad would not be allowed. Public order must be kept in check during the demonstrations, the government has also stressed.
PTI, on the other hand, continues to mobilise its supporters for the September 27 protest. The demonstration will be dominated by Imran Khan’s imprisonment as well as the PTI’s wider political demands. The detention of Aleema Khan is therefore one of the most sensitive issues between PTI and the government as the protest date approaches.
Aleema Khan has been a prominent public voice against her brother’s imprisonment. She has spoken publicly about Imran Khan’s treatment in prison and his conditions. PTI leaders and his family have voiced concerns over his health and prison conditions; the Pakistani government has denied allegations of mistreatment and medical neglect.
The former international cricketer who entered politics and became Pakistan’s prime minister is still in prison since 2023 after charges over several cases. He says the legal proceedings against him are politically motivated. Such cases are the root cause of Pakistan’s political conflict but PTI has repeatedly called for his release.
The latest detention also comes as others have been arrested at least once more, including people affiliated with Imran Khan and PTI. Pakistani media reported that the party said that others in Khan’s family and political network were also in custody and that as authorities increased security measures ahead of the September 27 mobilisation.
And, now that the PTI march is days away, Aleema Khan’s arrest just adds another layer of tension to Pakistan’s already tense political scene. In the coming days, political activity is expected to increase as the government and PTI gear up for the upcoming demonstration and authorities assess security arrangements around the event.
