Two sisters of Imran Khan, former Pakistan Prime Minister, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, were detained for a period of 30 days on September 21, Monday, Another sister of his, Aleema Khan, had been taken into custody a day earlier on September 20, Sunday. The arrests have been made ahead of Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) protest march to Islamabad scheduled for September 27, less than a week away.
Despite these arrests and crackdown on many known activists of PTI, senior party leaders, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, have said that they will go ahead with their plans to march on to Islamabad as announced earlier, according to reports in Dawn and other Pakistani newspapers.
The order for arrest of Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi was issued by the Lahore Deputy Commissioner. He had also issued Aleema Khan’s detention order and now put all three of them under arrest for 30 days, to begin with. They have been charged under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960, citing that individuals were “prejudicial to the public safety and maintenance of public order”.
MPO is a colonial era law which enables the government officials to pass preventive detention orders against individuals. Initially for a period of 30 days but the period of detention can be extended periodically. The notification specified that Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan would be held in custody under the superintendent of Central Jail, Kot Lakhpat.
The detentions have been challenged legally in the court but any chances of their release were described as bleak by most lawyers. They pointed out that the Supreme Court’s orders passed on August 18 for Imran’s treatment at private Shifa International Hospital were bypassed. A couple of contempt petitions were filed later but the legal recourse has been derailed now due to the intervention of Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) which has summoned all records of the case.
PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has condemned the arrests describing the action as the “first step towards worsening the situation”. In a statement posted on X, he stated, “We have always made it clear that our march will be peaceful and political. We aim to wage a peaceful struggle for our constitutional and political demands; we do not want any confrontation or violence.’’
He has also said that the arrests under MPO are tantamount to fuelling “violence and tension”
Imran’s son Kasim Khan condemns police action
“First they imprisoned my father. Now they are coming after his family. We demand immediate access to her for her family and lawyers, full disclosure of where she is being held, and her immediate release. The world cannot keep looking away from what is happening in Pakistan,” Imran Khan’s son Kasim Khan has said.
Meanwhile, residents of Rawalpindi, Islamabad and adjoining areas are bracing up for a possible confrontation between the personnel of the law enforcement agencies and PTI protesters. The police have already deployed more than 2,000 containers at various locations in the capital and at Attock Bridge, an entry point to Punjab from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and northern parts of the country.
According to the police official, the PTI’s long march is expected to begin from various parts of the country on September 27 and may reach Islamabad within three to four days. They have been directed that all security arrangements should be in place by September 26 evening. They further expect that the situation may continue for about a week or so.
There are already reports of sporadic protests breaking out in several parts of the country over the arrest of Imran’s sisters and other PTI leaders.
Massiv containers arrive in twin cities
Sources said various contractors had committed to providing 1,550 containers, including 350 required to seal the Red Zone. A wall of containers has already been erected around the Red Zone, with the police placing containers on roads as well as on greenbelts along its boundary. Out of these containers, around 1,000 will be used to block entry points, major roads and highways and the high security zone, from Margalla Road to Faisal Avenue, Khayaban-i-Suhrawardy and Third Avenue, besides the Expressway, Srinagar Highway and other major roads.
The Red Zone has seven designated entry points, including Khayaban-i-Suhrawardy, the Old Parade Ground/Jinnah Avenue, and Aga Khan Road. Gates at these points will also be closed.
The police have requested 16,000 police personnel and 4,000 anti-riot kits from the Punjab Police and 2,000 officials and 3,000 anti-riot kits from Sindh Police. Besides, three deputy inspectors general of police, seven senior superintendents of police, and 18 superintendents of police have also been called from the Punjab and Sindh.
Besides arranging containers, the contractors have also been asked to arrange 70 coasters, 30 double cabins and buses which will be used to transport the police force. About 50 portable washrooms and toilets were also being arranged for the police near the duty points.
Educational institutions closed indefinitely
Over four dozen buildings have been acquired for lodging of the police personnel. The buildings include government schools, marquees and other government buildings, like Sports Complex and Pak-China Friendship Centre. The police personnel from the provinces are likely to start arriving in the capital from today (Tuesday).
Educational institutions where accommodation has been arranged for the visiting police personnel are being closed from today (Tuesday) and the students and their parents have already been informed about the decision. The extensive deployment of containers and closure of major roads and entry points are likely to cause serious inconvenience to commuters in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
With key routes such as the Expressway, Srinagar Highway, Margalla Road and roads leading to the Red Zone expected to face restrictions, motorists may have to use alternative routes, leading to prolonged travelling times and traffic congestion. Commenting on the frequent protests in the capital, a diplomat once stated during an informal gathering that “Islamabad has five seasons – summer, winter, spring, autumn and containers.”
Showdown imminent as both sides harden positions
A blistering war of words has started between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi over the former’s “once-and-for-all solution”. At a press conference in Lahore on Monday, Naqvi said warned that the protesters would be “taken care of” this time if they entered Islamabad.
“As I am telling you, this time we will find a once-and-for-all solution”, Naqvi told reporters while responding to a question about whether the government planned to ban the PTI. “We cannot afford this every time”.
The Interior Minister did not rule out the option of imposing governor’s rule in PTI-led K-P. “The government had already made it clear to them that the prime minister, in consultation with our law ministry, would utilise whatever legal options were available,” he said, in response to another question.
