Pakistan Extends Imran Khan's Sister's Detention by 30 Days as Court Disposes of Release Petition

Pakistan’s Punjab government has extended the detention of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s three sisters by another 30 days, prolonging a legal and political controversy surrounding the jailed leader and his family. Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi have been held at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail since September under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, 1960. Their detention began ahead of planned protests by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which has been demanding his release.

Court Disposes of Release Petition

The development emerged during a hearing at the Lahore High Court on October 26, 2026. A representative of the Punjab government informed the court that the authorities had approved a further 30-day extension following a recommendation from the Lahore deputy commissioner. The hearing concerned a petition filed by Shahrez Khan, Aleema Khan’s son, seeking the release of his mother and two aunts. The petition argued that their initial detention orders had expired in October and that their continued confinement was unlawful.

However, Justice Abher Gul Khan disposed of the petition after reviewing a report submitted by the Punjab home secretary. The judge observed that the deputy commissioner, who had issued the detention notifications, had not been named as a respondent in the petition, limiting the scope of the court’s intervention in that proceeding. The disposal of the petition did not amount to a ruling that the detention itself was lawful on its merits.

Political Tensions Continue

The detention of Imran Khan’s sisters comes amid an ongoing confrontation between the PTI and Pakistan’s authorities. The party has criticised the arrests and questioned the need to keep the women in custody, while the government has relied on preventive detention provisions under the MPO Ordinance. The case has also raised questions about the use of preventive detention against relatives of a prominent political leader, particularly when the detainees’ supporters dispute the legal justification for their continued confinement. With the latest extension, Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi face another month in detention as the dispute continues. Their case remains part of the wider political and legal tensions surrounding Imran Khan’s imprisonment and the PTI’s efforts to secure his release. 

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