Pakistan releases two sisters of ex-PM Imran Khan from jail

What the report says

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan’s sisters, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi Khan, were released from Kot Lakhpat maximum-security prison in Lahore, according to their lawyer and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The Al Jazeera report said they had been held for nearly two months after their arrest, while a third sister, Aleema Khan, remained detained.

Their release was confirmed by lawyer Mudassar Umer and welcomed by PTI supporters, but party figures said the case was not resolved. PTI leader Zulfiqar Bukhari said Aleema Khan was still in custody and argued that the detentions reflected continued pressure on Imran Khan’s family. Uzma Khan’s son, Wali Khan, also questioned why his mother was jailed for 53 days before being freed, saying the decisions were not grounded in law.

The sisters were arrested a week before a planned PTI protest march on September 27, which was meant to press for Imran Khan’s release. Pakistan’s government said the detentions were meant to prevent a threat to law and order ahead of the demonstration, which later did not take place.

Imran Khan has been jailed since August 2023 after a series of convictions that PTI says were politically motivated. The article also noted ongoing concerns about his health and said the sisters’ release came one day after he was taken to hospital in Islamabad for medical treatment.