LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday turned down a request to immediately suspend the preventive detention notifications issued against Noreen Niazi and Dr Uzma Khan, sisters of PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan.
Uzma and Noreen were taken into custody on Monday for 30 days under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance 1960 (MPO) just a day after their sister Aleema Khan was detained.
The arrests of Imran’s sisters and other party leaders come ahead of the PTI’s Sept 27 countrywide protest and march to Islamabad.
On Thursday, Justice Abher Gul Khan took up a petition challenging Uzma and Noreen’s detention, filed by the latter’s daughter Sakeena Niazi.
Appearing as their counsel, Barrister Taimur Malik and Advocate Rana Mudassir argued that both women were “nonpolitical” and had been detained despite having no justification for their detention.
They informed the court that Uzma had already been acquitted in a case registered against her, and a copy of the trial court’s decision declaring her innocent was on the case record.
The lawyers also presented copies of two orders recently passed by the LHC’s Multan bench setting aside preventive detention of as many persons affiliated with PTI.
The counsel requested the court to immediately suspend the detention notifications for Uzma and Noreen.
Justice Abher, however, said the court would first seek a report from the relevant parties and hear their position before deciding the request for suspension.
The court then issued notices to the respondents and sought their replies on the petition.
The respondents included the Lahore deputy commissioner and capital city police officer, the Home Department secretary, and the Kot Lakhpat jail superintendent.
Hearing a petition against the detention of Aleema and her driver on Tuesday, Justice Abher had sought arguments on the plea’s maintainability. The court is set to resume the hearing on Friday.
In the capital, the Islamabad High Court had summoned the senior superintendent of police (operations) to appear on Thursday in a petition concerning alleged harassment of PTI leaders and raids on their homes.
Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2026
