Police in Pakistan have arrested Aleema Khan, the sister of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, in Lahore, a week before a planned protest march by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

Axar.az reports, citing Al Jazeera, that a senior police official confirmed the arrest. A Lahore deputy commissioner ordered her 30-day detention under the Maintenance of Public Order law.

Aleema Khan’s lawyer Rana Mudassar Umer said she was arrested while leaving her home and taken to an unknown location. He said she had bail in all her cases in Lahore.

The PTI condemned the arrest as illegal and demanded her immediate release. The party said the arrest was linked to Aleema Khan’s criticism of her brother’s detention and health conditions.

The planned PTI march is scheduled for September 27 and is intended to demand Imran Khan’s release. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said the government would take steps to prevent the protest.

It should be noted that Imran Khan has been in prison since 2023. The PTI, which he leads, and his supporters are demanding the former prime minister’s release.