21/09/2026
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21/09/2026
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ISLAMABAD, Sep 21: Pakistani police have arrested Aleema Khanum, the sister of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, in Lahore for allegedly mobilizing supporters to participate in planned protests in his support, officials from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said Sunday.
PTI condemned the arrest as “illegal detention,” while Khanum’s son, Shahrez Khan, demanded that authorities disclose her whereabouts and release her.
The arrest order, issued by Lahore’s deputy commissioner, accused Khanum of mobilizing Khan’s supporters through social media and public meetings. It ordered that she be detained for 30 days, citing intelligence reports that her presence in public could pose a “grave threat to public safety.”
A police official confirmed Khanum’s arrest. According to the order, she will be taken to Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore.
Khanum has been a vocal critic of her brother’s detention and has regularly addressed his supporters and the media. Her family said earlier Sunday that they had lost contact with her.
“We demand the government immediately disclose her whereabouts and ensure her safe return,” Shahrez Khan wrote on X.
The arrest comes ahead of nationwide protests planned for September 27, when Khan supporters are expected to march toward the capital, Islamabad.
Authorities accused Khanum of mobilizing people to “create law and order situations” and of raising or chanting slogans against the government. Streets in Islamabad have already been lined with shipping containers as authorities prepare to protect government buildings.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said Saturday that the planned protests would harm the country and that the government would take measures to prevent them, according to local media.
Zulfi Bukhari, a close aide to Khan, condemned the arrest, calling it “absolutely despicable” and saying the upcoming September 27 protest was clearly causing concern among authorities.
Khan has been in detention since 2023 after being sentenced to three years in prison in a case involving the non-disclosure of money from the sale of state gifts he received while serving as prime minister.
The former cricket star has faced more than 100 cases, including allegations involving state secrets and state gifts. Khan has rejected the charges as politically motivated.
Last year, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison in a land corruption case, the longest sentence he has received. His supporters continue to demand his release.
