Imran Khan's sister arrested as Pakistan tenses ahead of Sept 27 march

Former Pakistan cricketer and prime minister Imran Khan was arrested in Pakistan on August 5, 2023. Nearly three years on, he remains in jail. He has been acquitted in some of the cases against him, while others are still being heard in court.

His health had deteriorated at one point, prompting widespread calls for his release. Several former cricketers around the world, including Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, wrote letters to the Pakistan government asking that Imran Khan be given proper medical care.

Against this backdrop, Imran Khan's party and Pakistani citizens have announced a long march on September 27. His sister was said to be joining the march.

A nationwide protest and a long march to Islamabad have been announced for September 27 to pressure the Pakistan government. Ahead of this march, Imran Khan's sister Aleema Khan was arrested from her home in Lahore, a Punjab spokesperson said.

There has been no immediate official response from the Pakistan government or police on the arrest. It is being said that the arrest was carried out over fears that if Aleema Khan joined the march, it could draw public sympathy for Imran Khan and fuel discontent against the government.

Imran Khan's party condemned the arrest of Aleema Khan. The party's Punjab unit alleged that a large number of workers were being detained. The party said its workers had already faced a crackdown during preparations for the long march and called this damaging to democracy in Pakistan.

Among the cases against Imran Khan, the Al-Qadir Trust case is the biggest. He is accused of misusing land worth around 7 billion Pakistani rupees through the trust. In January 2025, Imran was sentenced to 14 years and his wife Bushra Bibi to 7 years in the case. Khan has denied the charges.

In the Toshakhana case, he is accused of not properly declaring and of selling expensive state gifts received while he was prime minister. He was sentenced to 3 years in this case in 2023, which was later suspended. An appeal against the sentence is currently underway.

In the cipher case, he was accused of misusing a confidential diplomatic cable sent by Pakistan's ambassador to the United States to Islamabad. He was sentenced to 10 years in 2024, which was later overturned.

In the unlawful marriage case, he and Bushra Bibi were accused of not observing the Islamic iddat period before their 2018 marriage. Both were sentenced to 7 years, which was later overturned and they were acquitted.