Pakistan arrests Imran Khan's sister Aleema for 30 days ahead of PTI's planned Islamabad march
From the Newshound archive · first published 20 September 2026 · last updated 21 September 2026.
Nazir Shah's post on X announcing Aleema Khan's detention. Her lawyer said police transported her to an undisclosed location despite her holding bail in all current Lahore cases.Imran Khan, the jailed former prime minister whose PTI party has faced a sustained crackdown with dozens of senior figures arrested or charged in recent months.
Pakistani authorities have detained Aleema Khan, sister of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, at her Lahore home and ordered her held for 30 days under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance. The arrest came as her brother's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party is set to stage a protest march on Islamabad on 27 September demanding his release. Lahore Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali Ijaz signed the detention order, citing intelligence reports that Aleema poses a "grave threat to public safety" after mobilising supporters on social media. Pakistan's finance minister has warned the protests will cost the country Rs 120 billion per day in economic losses.
Imran Khan has been imprisoned since 2023, serving a 14-year sentence on corruption charges, while his wife Bushra Bibi is also jailed in the same case.
PTI aide Zulfi Bukhari condemned the arrest as "absolutely despicable", saying it exposed the government's fear of the September 27 demonstration.
Authorities have placed shipping containers on major roads into Islamabad and put hospitals on high alert ahead of the march.
