PTI renews calls for Imran Khan’s release as sisters’ detention extended

• Punjab government extends the preventive detention of Khan’s three sisters by another 30 days.
• Emergency rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa deepens tensions between PTI and federal authorities.
• The government cites security concerns, while PTI describes the measures as politically motivated.

Supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan have renewed demands for his release as the continued detention of his sisters and restrictions on PTI leaders intensify the confrontation between the party and the authorities.

The Punjab government has extended the preventive detention of Aleema Khan, Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi by another 30 days. The Lahore High Court was informed of the extension during proceedings on October 26. The extension was approved by the government rather than ordered by the court.

The three sisters were detained in September under the Maintenance of Public Order law ahead of a planned PTI march towards Islamabad. Their family challenged their continued confinement, arguing that the original detention orders had expired. The court subsequently disposed of the release petition after reviewing the government’s report.

The dispute comes amid a wider political confrontation following the imposition of emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on October 11. Federal authorities justified the move by citing worsening militancy and alleged shortcomings in the provincial government’s response. PTI rejected the decision as an attack on its elected administration.

Sohail Afridi, whose chief ministerial powers were suspended, was subsequently reported to be in preventive custody. His detention has also been challenged before the Peshawar High Court.

Khan, imprisoned since August 2023, denies wrongdoing and maintains that the cases against him are politically motivated. His party accuses the military of interference in politics, an allegation the military rejects.