Public-order concerns do not justify preventive detention of opposition activists and politicians' relatives

Pakistani authorities detained all three of Imran Khan's sisters and hundreds of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf activists while restricting access to Islamabad ahead of a planned march seeking Khan's release. Dawn reported that Punjab authorities ordered the sisters held for 30 days under the Maintenance of Public Order ordinance: Aleema Khan under an order dated 20 September, and Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi on 21 September. The government cited public-order concerns, while PTI described the arrests as political repression. The march was postponed to 4 October.