Lahore: The LHC on Thursday declined in Lahore to immediately suspend the preventive detention orders against Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi because Justice Abher Gul Khan said the relevant government and prison authorities must first submit their responses.
The court was hearing a petition filed by Noreen’s daughter Sakeena Niazi challenging the detention of the two sisters of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.
Uzma and Noreen were taken into custody on Monday for 30 days under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance 1960. Their sister Aleema Khan had been detained a day earlier.
The detentions came before the PTI protest and march towards Islamabad planned for September 27.
The Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance allows authorities to issue preventive detention orders for stated public order reasons. Preventive detention means holding a person to prevent an anticipated disturbance rather than imprisoning someone as punishment following a criminal conviction.
Barrister Taimur Malik and Advocate Rana Mudassir, representing Uzma and Noreen, argued that both women were nonpolitical and that authorities had provided no valid justification for detaining them.
The lawyers told the court that Uzma had been acquitted in a case registered against her and presented the trial court’s decision as part of the record.
They also submitted two recent orders passed by the Multan bench of the LHC that had set aside the preventive detention of people affiliated with the PTI.
The counsel asked the court to suspend the detention notifications immediately. Justice Abher Gul Khan said the court would hear the position of the respondents before ruling on the request.
The court issued notices to the Lahore deputy commissioner, capital city police officer, Punjab Home Department secretary and superintendent of Kot Lakhpat jail.
The court has not yet ruled on whether the detention orders are lawful. Thursday’s proceedings concerned the request for their immediate suspension while the petition remains under consideration.
Separately, Punjab IG of Police Rao Abdul Kareem warned that authorities would take action against anyone violating the law during the September 27 protest.
It is pertinent to note that the Punjab government has banned public gatherings across the province for 13 days, while similar restrictions under Section 144 are in place in Islamabad.
Section 144 allows the civil administration to temporarily restrict gatherings and certain activities when it considers them a threat to public order. The police chief said permission was required to hold a peaceful protest while the restrictions remained in force.
