Reporting snapshot · 21 September 2026. Lahore's deputy commissioner ordered the arrest and 30-day detention of two more sisters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan — Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan — under Section 3 of the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960, on 21 September, a day after their sister Aleema Khan was detained under the same law. The account below reflects the detention orders as reported by The Express Tribune, the accounts of officials and the family carried by The News International and Geo News, and wire reporting by AFP via France 24. The grounds for detention rest on police and intelligence reports that have not been published in full, and several family claims have not been independently verified.
What happened
Authorities detained Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan, two sisters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, in Lahore late on 20 September and in the early hours of Monday 21 September under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, 1960, an official said on Monday. The two women were detained for 30 days and shifted to Central Jail, Kot Lakhpat, where their sister Aleema Khan had been transferred a day earlier.
Lahore Deputy Commissioner Capt (retd) Muhammad Ali Ijaz issued the detention orders under the 3-MPO following a police recommendation, according to the DC Office. The detentions come less than a week before PTI’s planned 27 September protest march on Islamabad to demand Imran Khan’s release and what the party calls the supremacy of the Constitution. The arrests followed the detention of Aleema Khan on Sunday, which KhabarWire reported on 20 September.
What the detention orders say
According to an order available to The Express Tribune, dated 20 September, the detention was based on reports submitted by the SP Civil Lines Division and the District Intelligence Branch, which alleged that the two women’s activities were “prejudicial to the public safety and maintenance of public order”.
In the order, police and intelligence officials stated that Niazi and Uzma had been involved in the May 9 protests and road blockades and had “motivated the workers to damage public and Government property”, were “again mobilising the workers through social media and public meetings to create law and order situation” and raising “objectionable slogans amongst the general public against the Government/institution in order to provoke and incite them”.
“Accordingly multiple cases including 96/23 PS Race Course were registered,” the order said, adding that the two women were “potential dangers to public peace and tranquility”. The police reports recommended 30 days’ detention under Section 3 of the Punjab MPO Ordinance “in order to keep the law & order situation in the city intact”.
The request was placed before the District Intelligence Committee at a meeting chaired by the Lahore deputy commissioner on 20 September. The order said the matter was “discussed in detail”, that members “endorsed the evidence/material provided/shared by the Police Department”, and that the committee “unanimously recommended that a detention order may be issued”.
The deputy commissioner said he was “convinced” that the presence of the two women “at any public place will pose a grave threat to the public safety and will likely cause breach of public peace and public order”. The order directed that they “be arrested and detained for a period of 30-days from the date of arrest”, with custody under the Superintendent of Central Jail, Kot Lakhpat, and said they “shall be at liberty to make a representation to the Provincial Government against this order”.
The family’s account and PTI’s response
PTI alleged early on Monday that the two sisters, along with their children and the sons of Aleema Khan, had been arrested by Punjab Police. PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said the family members had been placed in an armoured vehicle and were being taken to an undisclosed location. In a separate statement, the party condemned what it called the “illegal and high-handed action” of Punjab Police, alleging abuse of authority, a violation of fundamental rights and “political victimisation”, and demanded disclosure of the family’s whereabouts, their safe return and production before a court.
Imran Khan’s son Kasim Khan posted on X that his aunts Dr Uzma and Noreen, along with his cousins Shershah and Shahrez, had been taken from their homes without explanation. He later said two of Shahrez’s children, aged four and six, could not initially be located, then that they were safe, while alleging two more cousins, Azeem and Sakeenah, had been arrested. These claims could not be independently verified.
Lawyer Rana Mudassir confirmed that Aleema’s sons had been released following a brief detention, and said Noreen and Uzma were transferred to Kot Lakhpat jail at around 2am. AFP quoted PTI’s information secretary as saying the children were released and that all three sisters had been sent to Kot Lakhpat Jail. Police also detained Imran’s niece Hajra Niazi and her husband on Sunday, according to sources cited by The Express Tribune, and they were later released.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, a PTI figure, said he had travelled to Lahore after learning that Noreen and Dr Uzma were at risk of arrest. In a video message recorded near Lahore in the early hours of Monday, he said he had been in contact with the two women and had asked them to stay inside until he arrived, but alleged that unidentified people subsequently entered their homes and “abducted” them. “The kidnappers attacked their homes, vandalised their houses and have now taken them away,” he said, adding that his contact with them had since been cut off. His account could not be independently verified.
The legal challenge to Aleema’s detention
A petition challenging Aleema Khan’s detention was later filed in the Lahore High Court, with the Punjab Home Department, the Lahore deputy commissioner and others named as respondents. Aleema’s son, Shahrez Khan, filed the petition through lawyer Rana Mudassir, arguing that his mother was a law-abiding citizen and that the deputy commissioner issued the 30-day order contrary to the facts. He asked the court to declare the order void and direct her release.
Why it matters
The detention of three of Imran Khan’s sisters in two days marks a sharp escalation in the run-up to the 27 September protest, which the government has said it will not allow to reach the capital. The orders cite the same police and intelligence material — involvement in the May 9, 2023 protests, social-media mobilisation and the raising of slogans — that underpinned Aleema’s detention.
The arrests come as the government and opposition have been in contact over the September 27 march, and as an Islamabad High Court verdict on 18 September bars parties and leaders from occupying the capital’s roads and public places. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said the government will implement the court’s orders and has raised legal options for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Governor’s Rule, amid the security situation in the province.
What is still uncertain
The grounds for the detentions rest on police and intelligence reports not published in full. The family and PTI describe the arrests as abductions and political victimisation, while authorities present them as preventive detentions under a law that allows detention to maintain public order. Whether the sisters will be produced in court, file representations to the provincial government, or be released before the march — and whether the detentions change PTI’s plans — remain open questions.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a synthesis of published material, not eyewitness reporting. Sources were reviewed on 21 September 2026. The detention orders were not published in full by any outlet; the details reflect the order as reported by The Express Tribune.
- The News International — "Imran's sisters detained under MPO a day after Aleema's detention"Published 21 September 2026 · Official confirmation of the detentions, the 30-day term, the transfer to Kot Lakhpat jail at 2am, the release of Aleema's sons, and the Lahore High Court petition.
- Geo News — "Imran's sisters Uzma, Noreen detained under 3-MPO following Aleema's detention"Published 21 September 2026 · Independent report of the DC orders, the police recommendation, the 2am transfer, and lawyer Rana Mudassir's confirmation of the sons' release.
- The Express Tribune — "Imran's sisters Uzma, Noreen also detained under MPO ahead of Sept 27 PTI protest"Published 21 September 2026 · The full text of the 20 September order, the District Intelligence Committee recommendation, PTI and family statements, CM Afridi's account, and the detention of Hajra Niazi and her husband.
- France 24 (AFP) — "Pakistan arrests sisters of imprisoned former PM Imran Khan"Published 21 September 2026 · Wire confirmation of the three sisters' detention, the DC orders seen by AFP, and PTI's account that the children were released.
