Police arrest Pakistan ex-PM Imran's sister Aleema ahead of party's planned long march

Police on Sunday detained Aleema Khan, sister of incarcerated Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, in Lahore under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance, 1960.

The detention and other arrests across Pakistan are linked to the upcoming protest including a long march on Islamabad sponsored by the PTI.

PTI sources said that Aleema Khan had left her home on Upper Mall in Lahore to go to a gym when she was taken into custody and subsequently shifted to Kot Lakhpat Jail.

They said that Lytton Road police in Lahore detained the PTI founder's sister, while her vehicle was parked at the police station.

Noreen, another sister of the PTI founder, said that Aleema was taken into custody while leaving her home and that she had received information about her being taken to Kot Lakhpat Jail. "I do not know why they are so worried that they are arresting women as well."

She said that PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan had called her and wanted to know about the situation surrounding Aleema's arrest. "We are not frightened by such measures and will always continue striving for our brother."

Meanwhile, the PTI chief said that Noreen informed him by phone about her sister's arrest, adding that arresting or keeping Aleema in detention amounted to promoting violence and tension.

"We strongly condemn Aleema Khan's arrest; this is the first step towards worsening the situation," he said. "We have always made it clear that our march will be peaceful and political," Barrister Gohar said, adding that the party's objective was to pursue its constitutional and political demands through peaceful struggle. "We do not want any kind of confrontation or violence," he said.

He demanded that all such measures be stopped immediately and called for Aleema's immediate release, saying the party would announce its strategy against such measures soon.

Earlier, Gohar Ali Khan backed negotiations with the government, noting that talks have made no headway amid a "cold" political environment. "Negotiations should take place, but currently the environment is cold; nothing could be worked out," he told a TV channel.

He said that political problems required political solutions and that every side would have to take a step back to resolve them.

On the court orders regarding the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police chief, Gohar Ali Khan said that the court should not have sought an affidavit from the inspector general of police.

The PTI chief referred to an Islamabad High Court (IHC) ruling, directing provincial governments, including chief ministers, to ensure that government resources are not used to facilitate people participating in any protest leading towards the federal capital.

Interior ​Minister ‌Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday that ‌the government would do everything it could to stop the protest march.

A close ‌aide to ‌Khan, Zulfi Bukhari, ⁠described the arrest of Imran Khan's ‌sister as "absolutely despicable." "The fear of the 27th protest is clearly ⁠taking its toll," Bukhari added.