Sister of Pakistan's ex-PM Imran Khan arrested
Aleema Khanum is accused of mobilising her brother’s supporters ahead of country-wide protests.
Sister of Pakistan's ex-PM Imran Khan arrested
The sister of Pakistan's jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan, has been arrested ahead of protests planned for next week in his support, according to his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
PTI officials said Aleema Khanum was taken into custody on Sunday afternoon in the eastern city of Lahore, describing the move as an "illegal detention". Her son is calling for her release.
The arrest order for Khanum, issued by Lahore's deputy commissioner, said she had been mobilising Imran Khan's supporters "through social media and public meetings". It also stated that she would be held for 30 days.
Khanum has been a vocal critic of her brother's detention and regularly speaks to his supporters and the media.
A police official confirmed Khanum's arrest to the BBC. The order says she will be sent to Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore.
Earlier in the day, her family said they had had "no contact or news of her whereabouts".
"We demand the government immediately disclose her whereabouts and ensure her safe return," Khanum's son Shahrez Khan wrote on X.
Many have connected her arrest with protests organised across the country for 27 September, when demonstrators plan to march to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
The arrest order said Khanum had been mobilising people to "create law and order situations" and "raising/chanting objectionable slogans amongst the general public against the Government."
Streets in Islamabad are already lined with shipping containers, prepared to protect the city's government buildings.
Local media has reported Pakistan's interior minister as saying the protests are damaging the country and that the government will do everything it can to stop them.
Khan has been detained since 2023, when he was sentenced to three years in prison for failing to declare money earned from selling gifts he had received while in office.
He has faced charges in more than 100 cases, ranging from leaking state secrets to selling state gifts - all of which he has said are politically motivated.
Last year, the cricket star-turned-politician received a 14-year jail sentence in a land corruption case - the longest sentence he has received.
While in prison, his health has been deteriorating, and last month Khan had to go to a hospital for an examination.