LAHORE — The Lahore High Court on Thursday summoned the Punjab home secretary and the superintendent of Kot Lakhpat jail to appear in person on October 28 in a petition seeking the release of the three sisters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, according to The News.
Aleema Khan, Noreen Niazi and Dr Uzma Khan have been in custody since last month under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance in connection with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party’s anti-government protest. Noreen Niazi and Dr Uzma Khan were detained for 30 days on September 21, shortly before the PTI’s planned September 27 protest, which was later moved to October 4. Aleema Khan’s detention took place a day earlier, on September 20.
During Thursday’s hearing, counsel for the petitioner told the court that the detention orders for all three sisters expired on October 19 and 20, yet the sisters remain at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail. The fresh petition was filed a day earlier by Aleema Khan’s son, Shahrez Khan, challenging the continued detention.
Justice Abher Gul Khan questioned counsel about why the Lahore deputy commissioner had not been made a respondent in the petition. Counsel replied that the deputy commissioner had not been included because the detention notification issued by that official had expired. During the proceedings, Ahed Khan, husband of Dr Uzma Khan, asked the court to summon the deputy commissioner as well. The judge observed that the deputy commissioner could not be summoned when the official had not been made a party to the case.
The hearing comes as the PTI renews efforts to secure relief for Khan and his family following the imposition of emergency and Governor’s Rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province the party governed. According to The News, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has approached the authorities requesting the release of Khan’s three sisters and the restoration of family meetings with his wife, Bushra Bibi. When contacted, Barrister Gohar declined to discuss the matter with the media.
Party sources quoted by The News acknowledged that the PTI missed an opportunity during recent contacts with the government to ease restrictions on Khan and his family, attributing the setback in part to the confrontational posture of the party’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa leadership under then chief minister Sohail Afridi. Khan, the PTI founder, has been in jail for more than three years and remains the party’s central figure.
Why it matters: the case tests a basic legal question — whether the state can keep people in custody after the detention orders against them have lapsed. The court’s decision to summon the province’s home secretary and the jail superintendent in person signals that the bench wants an official explanation on the record, not just written replies.
What happens next: the summoned officials are due to appear on October 28. The PTI’s parallel effort — talks aimed at family access and the sisters’ release — continues alongside the court case, and the party says it will press both tracks. Read the original report in The News.
