Behind the heavy gates of Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail, a medical emergency shifted the focus back to the detained family members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's founder. Noreen Niazi was rushed to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology after experiencing sudden heart discomfort, according to a report by Geo News.
Her lawyer, Rana Mudassar Umar, stated to Geo News that the detained sister of the PTI founder was undergoing initial medical tests at the cardiology facility following the incident.
According to Geo News, Noreen and her sister Uzma Khan have been detained under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO), 1960, since September 21, following their arrest in Lahore. Geo News reported that the arrests took place a day after police took their sister, Aleema Khan, into custody under the same ordinance in Lahore.
Background
According to Geo News, the detentions occurred ahead of a planned nationwide protest and long march on Islamabad on September 27, which aimed to demand the release of the PTI founder and the supremacy of the Constitution. Geo News further reported that a report submitted to the Lahore High Court by the Punjab home secretary confirmed the Punjab government recently extended the detention of all three sisters by another 30 days. The Lahore High Court subsequently disposed of a petition challenging the detentions, which had been filed by Aleema's son, Shahrez Khan, after reviewing the home secretary's report.
Why it matters
The hospitalization of a high-profile detainee under MPO regulations highlights the intersecting pressures of legal detentions, political protests, and prisoner health concerns in Punjab. For ordinary observers, the ongoing legal challenges and extended detentions underscore the deep political tensions surrounding the PTI leadership and their families as court petitions and government orders continue to unfold.