The Lahore High Court (LHC) has been approached against the preventive detention of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan’s three sisters.
Aleema Khan, Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi were detained under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law as the PTI prepares for a nationwide protest scheduled for September 27.
A petition was filed by Shahraiz Khan, Aleema Khan’s son, through Advocate Rana Mudassar Umar. The plea challenges the detention orders issued by the Lahore deputy commissioner (DC) against Aleema, Uzma and Noreen.
The petitioner maintains that the detention orders were issued in violation of the procedure laid down under Section 3 of the MPO Ordinance. It argues that the orders lack specific allegations and do not reflect proper consideration of the circumstances.
The plea further states that authorities failed to consider ordinary criminal law or other less restrictive measures before resorting to preventive detention.
According to the petition, the grounds for detention were also not communicated within the legally prescribed timeframe. It alleges that the detention orders were issued only after the three women had already been arrested.
The petitioner has requested the high court to annul the detention orders issued by the Lahore DC and declare the detentions unlawful.
The latest arrests come amid reports of intensified action against PTI workers and leaders in Punjab ahead of the party’s September 27 protest and proposed march towards Islamabad. PTI has said the demonstration is aimed at securing Imran Khan’s release and calling for the supremacy of the Constitution.
According to an order issued by the Lahore DC Office on September 20, Uzma and Noreen were ordered to be detained for 30 days under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960. The order described the two as posing a threat to “public safety and maintenance of public order.
