New Delhi: Imran Khan continues to dominate headlines and the news in Pakistan, even from jail.
The Pakistani government arrested every member of his family, including all three of Imran Khan’s sisters, on Sunday, sparking outrage among his supporters, who are calling on the world to take notice. Khan’s son Kasim Khan labelled the arrests an ‘act of cruelty with complete disregard for humanity’.
The arrests come ahead of a planned PTI protest for Khan’s release on 27 September in Islamabad. Among those detained were Khan’s sisters Aleema Khan, Uzma Khanum and Noreen Niazi, who have been vocal advocates for his release and have criticised the growing influence of Field Marshal Asim Munir.
“They have been placed in an armoured vehicle and are being taken to an unknown location,” Sheikh Waqas Akram, a PTI spokesperson, wrote on X early Monday. He said the women’s children had also been arrested.
“This is a blatant abuse of authority, a violation of fundamental rights, and an act of political victimisation,” Akram added.
Khan has been in prison for three years, facing a series of charges ranging from corruption to terrorism. His wife, Bushra Bibi, is also in prison.
Khan’s sisters do not hold political or party positions. They have, however, been permitted to visit him in prison and convey messages from him. The government and courts have also sought to restrict the family’s ability to speak publicly to the news media.
Last month, Uzma Khanum visited Khan while he was receiving medical treatment at PIMS in Islamabad. She later told a news conference that her brother had said the treatment he was receiving was inadequate and that he feared the state was trying to kill him in prison, as Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi was killed in custody.
Protest march for release
The PTI announced a protest march on Islamabad for Sunday, demanding Khan’s release and opposing a recent series of laws and constitutional amendments that the party says have weakened the country’s judiciary.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, a close aide of Munir in the government, vowed on Saturday that the government would prevent the march from taking place.
The government has deployed tens of thousands of police officers and placed large shipping containers as barriers across Islamabad and Punjab province in an effort to block protesters.
Pakistan’s former special representative to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi, later tweeted: “Islamabad is again being turned into ‘Containeristan’. Takes a really shaky regime to do this.”
Former MP Bushra Gohar added on X: “Ya ha #Pakistan ka capital #Islamabad #Containeristan ke badhaale ke kahani…Ekeeswein sadi ma ehtijaj ko container sa rokna is sheer stupidity…it is only meant to make the public miserable…ya hota ha system collapse. #GayaPakistan”
A notification issued Sunday by the district administration in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province and the city where Khan’s family lives, said Aleema Khan had been arrested and would be detained for 30 days because her “presence . . . at any public place will pose a grave threat to the public safety.”
Shershah Khan, one of Aleema Khan’s sons, wrote on X Sunday that his family had no information about her whereabouts after she had been “abducted”.
“Our home is under siege. Both ends of our street have been cordoned off, effectively placing our family under house arrest,” he wrote.
Prominent journalist Hamid Mir pointed out how this has repeatedly been the case in Pakistani politics.
“Four women from Imran Khan’s family have been arrested. During General Zia-ul-Haq’s era, two women from the Bhutto family were arrested. During Imran Khan’s tenure, one woman from the Sharif family and one from the Zardari family were arrested. In the current era, Imran Khan’s wife and three sisters have been taken into custody,” he wrote on X.
But others continue their call for justice.
Shahbaz Gill, Khan’s former chief of staff, called the arrests ‘cruelty like Hitler’.
“This is cruel like Hitler. Shameful how western democracies close their eyes on all these violations of rule of law, democracy, human rights and freedom of speech. In Pakistan they are rather empowering this regime. The world must speak,” he wrote on X.
Pakistani journalist and human rights activist Maryam Nawaz Khan agreed.
“What can a system be afraid of women possibly achieve through such cowardice? Even if all three of Imran Khan’s sisters are arrested, what will it accomplish beyond attempting to stop a political march? This is nothing but injustice. It will only deepen resentment and sow hatred in people’s hearts. For God’s sake, have mercy on this country.”
(Edited by Prashant Dixit)
Why are innocent sisters of Imran Khan picked up? Pakistani’s are really timid, scared people. They don’t know when to protest and how to protest.