LHC seeks arguments on Aleema Khan detention petition

The Lahore High Court on Tuesday asked parties to address whether a petition challenging the detention of Aleema Khan, sister of imprisoned PTI founder Imran Khan, is maintainable, Dawn reported. Aleema and her driver were detained in Lahore on Sunday under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) after the deputy commissioner ordered her held for 30 days.

Geo News reported on Monday that two more sisters, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, were detained under Section 3 of the MPO and shifted to Kot Lakhpat jail, where Aleema is also being held. The Lahore deputy commissioner issued their 30-day detention orders on a police recommendation.

The detentions come ahead of PTI's planned long march on Islamabad on September 27, demanding Imran Khan's release and supremacy of the Constitution. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan condemned Aleema's arrest, saying the march would be peaceful and political and that the party did not want confrontation or violence.

Shahrez Khan, Aleema's son, filed the Lahore High Court petition through lawyer Rana Mudassar. He argued that his mother is a law-abiding citizen and that the deputy commissioner's detention order was issued contrary to the facts. The petition asks the court to declare the order void and direct Aleema's release. The Punjab Home Department, the Lahore deputy commissioner and others are respondents.

Noreen told Geo News that Aleema was taken into custody while leaving her home and that she received information about her being taken to Kot Lakhpat jail. Geo News also reported that Aleema's sons, Shahrez and Sher Shah, were briefly detained and later released.