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Imran Khan's Sister Detained In Lahore Ahead Of Protest

Aleema Khan, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan, was taken into custody by Lahore police on Thursday ahead of a planned protest by the party.

LSN India · 20 September 2026

Aleema Khan, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, was detained by Lahore police on Thursday ahead of a planned protest by the party. The move was made under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960, a legislative instrument that permits local authorities to arrest individuals deemed a potential threat to public peace.

The detention represents a continuation of mounting pressure on PTI leadership and associates in the weeks preceding significant political mobilizations. Sources close to the party indicated that demonstrations were scheduled to commence in multiple cities across Punjab province.

The 1960 ordinance has historically provided Pakistani law enforcement with expansive discretionary authority to detain individuals without formal charges, a provision rights advocates have repeatedly criticized as enabling arbitrary arrest practices. Officials have not formally detailed charges against Khan beyond invoking the ordinance's broad public order provisions.

Imran Khan's PTI has faced intensifying administrative action and legal challenges in recent months, including a government crackdown on party activists and supporters. The former prime minister himself has faced multiple criminal cases spanning corruption allegations to sedition charges, which he and party supporters characterize as politically motivated persecution.