LAHORE: Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, sisters of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, were released from Kot Lakhpat jail following the withdrawal of their extended detention orders, PTI legal counsel Rana Mudassar Umer told Dawn on Thursday.
In a post on X, he said the two — who were detained in September under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO) along with their sister Aleema Khan — had returned home “safely”.
PTI lawyer Taimur Malik also said on X that the two women had been released upon the withdrawal of the “unlawful MPO detention order”.
“Everyone else detained under these MPO orders should be released as well,” he said.
Noreen’s son, Wali, also said on X that his mother and his aunt had been released from jail.
“For 53 days they were held under Section 3 of the MPO. No charge. No trial. Two weeks ago, Noreen, in her seventies, was taken to a cardiac hospital. No one told us. Today they were let out. No reason given,” he said.
He called for a judge to “explain both decisions”, but added: “No one can, because neither decision rested on law. Their jailing was arbitrary and so is their release.”
Imran’s three sisters — Noreen, Aleema and Uzma — have been in jail on the Lahore deputy commissioner’s (DC) orders as the PTI geared up for a protest march towards Islamabad. Their detention was initially ordered for 30 days.
Their detention was then challenged in the Lahore High Court after the 30-day period lapsed last month, following which the Punjab government informed the court that it had been extended for another 30 days.
Aleema, who was the first to be detained, still remains in jail.
On Oct 28, Noreen was moved from Kot Lakhpat jail to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) due to high blood pressure. At the time, her lawyer claimed that no family member had been informed about her deteriorating health.
The PTI had also condemned Noreen’s transfer to the PIC without informing her family, expressing grave concern over her health and the treatment of “political prisoners”.
However, the government had insisted that she was “fine” after being provided medical treatment.
“As per the information available, she is fine and all her medical tests are normal,” the adviser to the prime minister on political affairs, Rana Sanaullah, had informed the Senate on Oct 29.
