Islamabad, Sep 22 (IANS) Leading international human rights organisation, Amnesty International, on Tuesday urged the Pakistani authorities to immediately release former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s relatives, including his three sisters, and activists of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, calling their detention ‘arbitrary’.
“Members of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s family, including his three sisters, as well as activists from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), have been arbitrarily detained. The targeting of his family and PTI party activists is a flagrant violation of their rights to liberty, freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. Such actions speak to the severity of the current restrictions in Pakistan,” the rights body said in a post on X.
“Amnesty International calls on the Pakistani authorities to immediately release Imran Khan’s relatives and PTI workers, who have been targeted simply for their familial ties, political affiliation and plans to protest,” it added.
Imran Khan’s sisters Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi were detained for 30 days on Monday, a day after his other sister, Aleema Khan, was arrested, following orders by the Lahore Deputy Commissioner under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960. The detentions come ahead of PTI’s protest and march to Islamabad set for September 27.
On Tuesday, Pakistani women’s rights organisation Aurat March also condemned the detentions, saying the intimidation, arrests and “picking up” of Imran Khan’s relatives, along with efforts to prevent PTI supporters from marching in Islamabad, were “unconstitutional and inhumane”.
“While we don’t ally with any political party and have also disagreed with some of PTI’s policies over the years, however, we believe the state’s horrific efforts to crush any form of dissent, and intimidation and picking up of Imran Khan’s relatives and preventing PTI supporters from marching on the streets of Islamabad is unconstitutional and inhumane, and should be condemned by all citizens,” Aurat March said
Imran Khan was first arrested on May 9, 2023, which resulted in mass nationwide protests, and again on August 5, 2023. He has been in detention since then.
Amnesty International said in August that key members of his party and supporters were subjected to mass and arbitrary arrests after protests on May 9, 2023, and November 26, 2024. Many remain detained under anti-terrorism charges, while 85 have been convicted by military courts.
–IANS
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