Two sisters of Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi Khan, have been freed from prison, according to their lawyer and Khan’s party. Lawyer Mudassar Umer said on X on Thursday that both women had been released and had reached home safely.
The sisters were released from Kot Lakhpat maximum-security prison in Lahore, nearly two months after their arrest. A third sister, Aleema Khan, was detained on the same day and remains behind bars, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said.
Detention orders tied to a planned Islamabad march
The sisters were arrested and placed under 30-day detention orders a week before a PTI protest march planned for September 27 to demand Khan’s release. The government said the women could have posed a threat to law and order ahead of the march on Islamabad, which ultimately did not go ahead.
Also read: Imran Khan taken to PIMS overnight for eye treatment check-up · Imran Khan's family involved in PTI backchannel contacts
The federal government also suspended the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government, led by Khan’s party, which had been organising the demonstration.
Family criticism and concerns over Khan’s health
Uzma Khan‘s son, Wali Khan, questioned why his mother had been held for 53 days before being released, saying the decisions were not based in law. In a post on X, he said: “Their jailing was arbitrary, and so is their release.”
PTI leader Zulfiqar Bukhari said the release did not end the injustice faced by Khan’s family and that Aleema Khan remained in custody. He added that the party’s demands were clear: no selective relief, no intimidation and no further persecution.
Imran Khan, 74, has been jailed since August 2023 over a series of convictions his party describes as politically motivated. All but one have since been suspended or overturned on appeal. The PTI campaign has been driven in large part by concerns over his right eye, which has needed months of specialist treatment. The sisters’ release came a day after Khan was taken to hospital in Islamabad, where he received medical treatment.
