Three sisters of jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan have been arrested as authorities intensify a crackdown ahead of a planned nationwide protest calling for his release.
The sisters, Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, were detained and sentenced to 30 days in custody under a warrant alleging that they posed a threat to public order, according to their lawyer, Rana Mudassir Umar.
Leaders of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party condemned what they described as the “illegal harassment” of his family. The three women have been outspoken in demanding Khan’s release since he was imprisoned on corruption charges in 2023.
Khan’s family and party have also alleged that he has been kept in solitary confinement and denied visits and telephone contact with relatives for six months. They further claim that authorities have restricted his access to medical care for an eye condition.
The arrests come days before a nationwide demonstration planned for Sunday. The protest, described by PTI as a “long march”, is intended to demand Khan’s release and raise concerns over what the party describes as the erosion of democracy and constitutional rights under the current government.
Although none of Khan’s sisters hold a political office within PTI, they have become prominent advocates for his release. They have previously protested outside the prison where Khan is being held and demanded access to their brother.
Their arrests mark the first time all three have been imprisoned together.
Aleema was detained in Lahore on Sunday while travelling to a private club, and her driver was also taken into custody. Hours later, around 3 am on Monday, police arrested Uzma and Noreen after the two women held a press conference at Aleema’s home to protest her detention.
Umar said a large police contingent subsequently surrounded the family residence, with more than 100 officers entering the property. He alleged that the officers arrested Uzma and Noreen and also detained children, grandchildren and household staff temporarily.
The lawyer said the home was searched and the occupants’ phones were confiscated. The children and grandchildren, aged four and six, were released by about 7 am, while the three sisters remained in custody.
The women were charged under Pakistan’s Maintenance of Public Order law, according to Umar.
He said: “They have not been allowed any family access, no legal counsellor access, and they were not even allowed to bring clothes or basic things.
“We have challenged their arrests in the High Court in Lahore and [are] hoping we will get a hearing soon.”
The arrests come amid heightened political tensions between Khan’s supporters and the authorities. Pakistan’s military remains widely regarded as the country’s most powerful institution, with army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir playing a central role in the country’s political establishment.
Munir previously fell out with Khan while he was prime minister. Khan’s supporters have repeatedly accused the military and government of targeting PTI, allegations the authorities have disputed.
The 2024 election that brought the current coalition government to power was widely criticised, with Khan’s party and its supporters alleging military interference and manipulation to prevent PTI from returning to government.
Khan’s two sons, who live in London and have campaigned for their father’s release, recently accused Munir of pursuing a “personal vendetta” against Khan and alleged that Pakistani authorities were “slowly killing” him in prison.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Monday that the government would “find a permanent solution” to prevent the planned march from taking place and stop the disruption of large parts of the country.
Despite Khan’s prolonged imprisonment, he remains a major political figure in Pakistan, while authorities have expressed concern that the planned demonstration could attract large crowds.
The protest is also being organised amid widespread public discontent linked to an economic crisis and severe petrol shortages associated with turmoil in the Middle East and Gulf region.
PTI has faced sustained pressure since Khan’s imprisonment, with many of its senior figures jailed or pushed out of active politics.
Sheikh Waqas Akram, a senior PTI leader, claimed the government was concerned that hundreds of thousands of people could participate in the march and potentially “topple the government”, pointing to recent protest movements in Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Security measures have already been intensified in Islamabad, with barriers, armed personnel and shipping containers deployed across roads and at key entry points into the capital.
“Punjab police are raiding houses, harassing families, bulldozing houses and arresting workers and families,” Akram said.
“They are going to insane levels to crush the long march and stop it with violence and arrests. This illegitimate government know they can’t survive if people are allowed to protest and march on Islamabad in huge numbers.”
