Global Journalists Question Arrest of Imran Khan’s Sisters Ahead of Shehbaz Sharif’s UN Speech
ISLAMABAD: Senior journalist and anchorperson Hamid Mir has said that journalists abroad have raised questions over the detention of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s three sisters shortly before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s address at the United Nations General Assembly.
In a post on social media platform X, Hamid Mir said that a journalist friend in New York had asked why the government detained Imran Khan’s three sisters under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance just days before the prime minister’s important speech at the United Nations.
The journalist, according to Hamid Mir, also questioned how Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif could represent the Islamic Republic of Pakistan at the UN while his government was detaining elderly women without criminal convictions.
Prime Minister of Pakistan @CMShehbaz going to @UN for representing Pakistan. A journalist freind from New York asked me that why your government arrested three sisters of @ImranKhanPTI under a black law 3 MPO just days before the speech of Prime Minister in UN? How can he… pic.twitter.com/xKr2LFwsRB
— Hamid Mir حامد میر (@HamidMirPAK) September 22, 2026
Imran Khan’s sisters Aleema Khan, Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi were detained in Lahore under Section 3 of the MPO Ordinance. Authorities ordered their detention for 30 days, citing concerns related to public safety and maintenance of public order. The detentions came ahead of PTI’s planned September 27 protest and march.
The detention orders have been challenged before the Lahore High Court. The authorities’ stated grounds include allegations concerning previous protests and concerns that the women could contribute to a law-and-order situation.
Hamid Mir’s remarks come amid increased international attention to the arrests of PTI members and family members ahead of the planned protest.
