The Lahore High Court on Monday disposed of a petition seeking the release of PTI founder Imran Khan’s three sisters, after the Punjab government informed the court that their preventive detention had been extended for another 30 days. Imran sisters detention LHC proceedings ended with Justice Abher Gul Khan disposing of the petition in light of the home secretary’s report.
An assistant advocate general of Punjab told Justice Khan, who has been holding hearings on the petition, that the government had approved a further 30-day detention of Aleema Khan, Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi on the recommendation of the Lahore deputy commissioner. The law officer also submitted a report on behalf of the home secretary and said the detention period had been extended on October 7.
The three sisters were detained by authorities in September, under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960, as the PTI geared up for a planned protest march towards Islamabad. Their detention was ordered for 30 days.
Imran sisters detention LHC ruling and the missing respondent
The petitioner’s counsel, Rana Mudassar Umar, requested the court to order the recovery of the three women and their production before the court. Justice Khan observed, however, that while the deputy commissioner had issued the detention notifications, the petitioner had not made the official a respondent in the petition.
The judge held that the court could not issue an order beyond the scope of the petition. That procedural point, rather than a finding on the merits of detention itself, decided the outcome. The judge disposed of the petition in light of the home secretary’s report.
Aleema’s son, Shahrez, had filed the petition alleging that the three sisters remained confined at Kot Lakhpat jail despite the end of their initial 30-day detention orders on October 19 for Aleema and October 20 for Noreen and Uzma. The petition stated that the women were taken into custody in September under Section 3 of the MPO, 1960. Aleema was detained on September 20, while Uzma and Noreen were detained a day later.
The petitioner argued that the continuous detention beyond the notified period was unlawful, that the sisters were not wanted in any criminal case, and that preventive detention could not be used as a substitute for ordinary criminal law. It asked the court to order the sisters’ immediate release and that they be produced before the court.
What this outcome means for the sisters
Monday’s disposal does not answer the petitioner’s central argument. It does not rule that the extended detention is lawful, nor does it order release. It closes this particular petition on procedural grounds, while the fresh 30-day extension from October 7 remains in force on the government’s account.
That distinction matters for the family and for readers following the case. The sisters’ legal position now depends on what challenge, if any, is brought against the extension itself, and whether such a petition names the deputy commissioner as a respondent. Until then, the October 7 extension sets the timeline for their continued detention.
The case has moved through the court in stages over the past week. Our earlier coverage recorded the plea filed for the sisters’ release as the initial 30-day period ended, followed by the court’s summons to officials in the case. Monday’s hearing was the next step in that sequence, and it ended with disposal rather than release.
For the wider public, the case also tests how preventive detention powers are used. Section 3 of the MPO allows detention to prevent acts prejudicial to public safety or the maintenance of public order. Critics argue that such powers should be used narrowly and for short periods, while governments argue they are needed when protests or unrest are expected. The court’s insistence on correct respondents shows that procedure, as well as substance, decides how far such challenges can go.
Why did the court dispose of the petition?
The court disposed of the petition because the petitioner had not made the Lahore deputy commissioner, who issued the detention notifications, a respondent in the case.
For how long was the detention extended?
The Punjab government said the detention of all three sisters was extended for another 30 days, with the extension dated October 7.
