Pakistan frees two of Imran Khan’s sisters; a third, Aleema Khan, remains in detention

Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, sisters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, were released on Thursday from Kot Lakhpat prison in Lahore after their detention orders were suspended, their lawyer Mudassar Umar said. Their sister Aleema Khan remains in custody, according to Khan’s party, PTI.

Authorities detained the sisters under 30-day orders ahead of a planned PTI march on Islamabad in late September, saying they could threaten law and order; the march did not take place. Uzma Khan’s son, Wali Khan, said she had been held for 53 days and called both the detention and the release arbitrary. The release came a day after Imran Khan, in prison since August 2023, was taken to hospital in Islamabad for treatment.