Imran Khan Sisters Released After 50 Days in Detention
The Imran Khan sisters released after 50 days in detention walked free from Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore on Thursday. Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan were handed over to Noreen’s daughter, Hajra Niazi, after their release. Their sister Aleema Khan remains in custody. Kot Lakhpat Jail Superintendent Chaudhry Ijaz Asghar confirmed the release to The Express Tribune.
The two women had been held under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law since September. Their release ends a detention that drew repeated court hearings, a hospital admission and a legal challenge in the Lahore High Court.
Imran Khan sisters released after court fight
The three sisters were detained in September under Section 3 of the Punjab MPO Ordinance, 1960, as the PTI prepared for a planned protest march towards Islamabad. Aleema Khan was detained on September 20, while Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi were taken into custody on September 21.
The Lahore deputy commissioner issued the detention orders for 30 days. The orders cited police reports alleging that the women’s activities posed a threat to public safety and the maintenance of public order. The orders were later extended for another 30 days.
The sisters challenged the detention in the Lahore High Court, seeking the annulment of the orders and their immediate release. On September 25, the court declined to suspend the detention notifications against Uzma and Noreen at that stage and sought responses from the relevant authorities.
On October 22, the court summoned the Punjab home secretary and the superintendent of Kot Lakhpat Jail over the continued detention despite the expiry of the 30-day orders. On October 26, the court disposed of a petition for the release of all three sisters after the Punjab government confirmed that their detention had been extended by another 30 days.
Noreen, who is 70, was admitted to Lahore’s Punjab Institute of Cardiology on October 28 after her health deteriorated in custody. Her legal counsel, Rana Mudassar Umer, said on X that she had been transferred to the hospital due to deteriorating health in jail. He alleged that no family member was informed of her transfer.
Government rules out any deal
The release drew an immediate response from the government. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry ruled out “any possibility of leniency, a deal or any concession” for the PTI, and rejected speculation about backchannel contacts over Imran Khan’s legal cases.
“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,” Chaudhry said on a private news channel.
His remarks came a day after PTI lawyers Sardar Latif Khosa and Barrister Salman Safdar met Imran Khan at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi under an Islamabad High Court order. The meeting lasted between three and four hours, and the lawyers discussed the couple’s health and legal cases.
After the meeting, Khosa said Imran’s blood pressure had reached a “frightening level” and his eye problems persisted, but the former prime minister remained “completely alert” with strong spirits. Khosa also confirmed that a possible 28th Constitutional Amendment had been discussed, but declined to share details.
Chaudhry accused the PTI lawyers of politicising Imran’s health and said their statements could harm the party. He said the government had repeatedly invited the PTI to sit down for talks, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also extended an invitation for negotiations.
The Islamabad High Court had directed the meeting while hearing appeals filed by Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi against their convictions in the GBP190 million Al-Qadir Trust case. The court directed their counsel to begin arguments at the next hearing.
What the detention was about
The MPO law lets a district administration detain a person for up to 30 days at a time when it believes the person poses a threat to public order. The sisters were detained as the PTI planned a protest march to Islamabad, and the orders were extended once for a further 30 days.
The case has run alongside a series of legal battles around the PTI founder. Gohar Ali Khan has raised the alarm over Imran Khan’s health in the Supreme Court, and the PTI has sought a transfer to Shifa International Hospital over blood pressure concerns. Imran Khan’s nephew was denied a meeting at Adiala Jail, while an anti-terrorism court granted bail to four PTI leaders in protest cases.
For now, two of the three sisters are free. Aleema Khan remains in Kot Lakhpat Jail, and the legal cases around the PTI founder continue in the courts.
Frequently asked questions
Who was released?
Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan, sisters of PTI founder Imran Khan, were released from Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore on Thursday after 50 days in detention.
Why were they detained?
They were detained in September under Section 3 of the Punjab MPO Ordinance, 1960, ahead of a planned PTI protest march to Islamabad. The orders cited a threat to public safety and public order.
How long were they held?
They were held for 50 days. Their initial 30-day detention orders were extended for another 30 days by the Punjab government.
What did the government say after the release?
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry ruled out any possibility of leniency, a deal or any concession for the PTI, and said rumours of backchannel contacts were baseless.
