Islamabad: Pakistan police arrested two more sisters of Imran Khan for a 30-day period under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance on Monday, coming ahead of a scheduled protest march organised by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to demand the former prime minister's release.

The action follows the detention a day earlier of another sister, Aleema Khan, under the same public order legislation, after which she was transferred to Kot Lakhpat jail.

On Monday, authorities detained Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, alongside Khan's nephews, under a 30-day MPO order, an official confirmed.

They were subsequently moved to Kot Lakhpat jail, joining Aleema Khan at the facility, the official added.

The detentions precede a planned nationwide demonstration by the PTI, which includes a long march toward Islamabad scheduled for 27 September to press for Khan's freedom.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi issued a stern warning to Khan's political party on Monday against holding street demonstrations.

"We have clearly told them (PTI) that they can never achieve anything through such drama, and I will say again that there is still time; they should not go into this situation," he said, advising the opposition "not enter a dead-end street".

Naqvi stressed that the PTI would not be permitted to "come to Islamabad and shut down the city for ten days."

"That possibility does not exist," he added.

Lahore police justified the action against Khan's family members, contending their activities were "prejudicial to the public safety and maintenance of public order".

The statutory framework authorises law enforcement to detain individuals deemed a threat to public peace across the country.

The formal arrest warrant stated that the pair had been involved in the 9 May 2023 protests and "motivated the workers to damage public and government property".

"Moreover, they are again mobilising the workers through social media and public meetings to create a law and order situation, raising/chanting objectionable slogans amongst the general public against the government/institution in order to provoke and incite them," the order read.

"Accordingly, multiple cases including 96/23 PS Race Course were registered," the document noted, concluding that Uzma and Noreen represented "potential dangers to public peace and tranquillity".

"Such activists will give rise to a situation prejudicial to public safety and maintenance of public order, if left unchecked."

PTI legal counsel Awais Chaudhry confirmed to the Dawn newspaper that all three of Khan's sisters were in police custody.

"Earlier, Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan were confined to their house, but on Monday morning they were taken to an unknown place," he claimed.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, the PTI denounced the arrests as a "blatant abuse of authority, a violation of fundamental rights, and an act of political victimisation".

"Such conduct is illegal, unconstitutional, and is condemned in the strongest possible terms," the party declared.

Khan, 73, has remained imprisoned since 2023 and is currently held at the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. His sisters have consistently voiced concerns over his health while in custody, demanding his immediate release.

PTI