‘Permanent Solution’ To PTI Protests? Pakistan Warns As Imran Khan’s Sisters Are Jailed

Pakistan has detained all three sisters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan ahead of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party’s planned September 27 march on Islamabad, as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi warned the party against proceeding and said the government would not leave its response “halfway”.

Khan’s sister Aleema Khan was detained in Lahore on Sunday for 30 days under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance. On Monday, police detained his other sisters, Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, also for 30 days and shifted them to Kot Lakhpat Jail.

The detention orders for Uzma and Noreen alleged that they had been involved in the May 9, 2023 protests, encouraged workers to damage public and government property and were again mobilising supporters through social media and public meetings. Authorities described them as potential threats to public peace and tranquillity.

The arrests have triggered further allegations from Khan’s family. His son Kasim Khan alleged that Uzma and Noreen, along with cousins Shershah and Shahrez, were “abducted” after unidentified people entered their homes and forced them into vehicles. He later alleged that cousins Azeem and Sakeenah had also been detained. Kasim said Shahrez’s two children, aged four and six, briefly went missing amid the confusion before being found safe. These additional allegations have not been independently verified.

PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram separately alleged that the family members were placed in an armoured vehicle and taken to an undisclosed location. PTI lawyer Awais Younas Chaudhry said the sisters had initially been confined to their homes before being taken away. They were subsequently reported to have been shifted to Kot Lakhpat Jail.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has also alleged that authorities targeted the family while he was in Lahore to meet Khan’s sisters. PTI has condemned the arrests as an abuse of authority and violation of fundamental rights.

The government, meanwhile, has hardened its position. Naqvi on Monday urged PTI to reconsider the September 27 march, saying there was still time for the party to change course. He warned that the government would not leave any “loopholes” in its response and said it would find a “permanent solution” to the repeated protests.

Naqvi also pointed to an Islamabad High Court order restricting political parties from occupying public roads, highways, interchanges, toll plazas and government buildings in the capital. The government has said it will not allow the march to paralyse Islamabad.

PTI, however, has said the September 27 mobilisation will be peaceful and political. PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has said the party does not want unrest or violence and has invited opposition groups to join the protest.

The confrontation could also widen beyond Islamabad. Naqvi said governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was among the options being considered, citing the security situation in the province. PTI governs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, making the statement another potential flashpoint between the federal government and Khan’s party.

The detention of Khan’s sisters is also facing a legal challenge. The Lahore High Court has been approached against their 30-day preventive detention, with the petition arguing that the orders were unlawfully issued and that the procedure under Section 3 of the MPO Ordinance was not followed.

Imran Khan, 73, has remained imprisoned since 2023 and is currently held at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. PTI’s September 27 protest seeks his release and calls for constitutional supremacy and the rule of law.