Noreen Niazi, the 70-year-old sister of jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, is in stable condition after receiving treatment at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) in Lahore, Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah told the Senate on Thursday.
According to Dawn, Sanaullah informed the upper house that Noreen was 'immediately provided with medical facilities' after her health deteriorated in detention at Kot Lakhpat jail, and that all her medical tests had returned normal results.
What happened at Kot Lakhpat jail
Noreen was shifted from Kot Lakhpat jail to the PIC on Wednesday after complaining of heart-related discomfort, according to Geo News, which cited her lawyer Rana Mudassar Umar. The transfer came a day before the Senate session, and it immediately drew questions from PTI senators about the treatment of the former prime minister's family members in custody.
Her lawyer claimed that no family member had been informed about her deteriorating health, a point that became the centre of a heated exchange in the Senate chamber on Thursday.
Sanaullah's response in the Senate
Responding to a query from PTI parliamentary leader Barrister Ali Zafar, who sought information about Noreen's health and her hospital transfer, the PML-N senator sought to reassure the house.
'As per the information available, she is fine and all her medical tests are normal,' Sanaullah said.
On the question of whether Noreen's family had been denied access to her, the prime minister's adviser said details would be sought on the matter. He assured the PTI that if the family had indeed been kept away, permission to meet her would be addressed depending on the circumstances at the hospital.
During his address, PTI Senator Mashal Yousafzai repeatedly interrupted Sanaullah, questioning the grounds for Noreen's continued detention. The adviser's reply was blunt.
'She is in jail because she wanted to spread turmoil in the country. She wanted to attack Islamabad by launching a long march and inciting the people,' he said.
Addressing Zafar, Sanaullah added that since the PTI founder is in jail under judicial custody, any relief concerning his health or meetings with him should be sought from the courts, not from the government.
Why the sisters are in detention
Three sisters of the former premier, Noreen, Aleema Khan, and Uzma Khan, have been in detention since September 21 under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960 (MPO), on the orders of the Lahore deputy commissioner. They are currently serving the second term of a 30-day detention, which was extended on October 7.
The detentions came amid a reported crackdown on the PTI ahead of a countrywide protest and march to Islamabad. The party had called the mobilisation to demand Imran Khan's release from jail and, in its own words, to press for the supremacy of the Constitution.
For a country that has paid so heavy a price for political instability, the episode is a sober reminder of the thin line between the right to protest and the duty of the state to preserve public order. Pakistan's streets have too often been turned into battlegrounds by those who speak of constitutions while courting chaos, and the people of this land, whose faith has always taught them patience and lawful conduct, know the difference between genuine struggle and manufactured turmoil.
PTI's reaction
The PTI, meanwhile, condemned the transfer of the 70-year-old to the PIC without informing her family, expressing grave concern over her health and the treatment of what the party called 'political prisoners'.
PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram criticised the authorities for not informing Noreen's family after she felt unwell while in custody at Kot Lakhpat jail. He described the handling of her medical emergency as 'callous and inhumane', arguing that denying family members timely information about the condition of an elderly heart patient raised serious questions about prisoners' rights, legal safeguards and basic human dignity.
'Noreen Niazi's transfer to the PIC without prior notification to her family is alarming,' Akram said, demanding an immediate explanation from the Punjab government and the relevant authorities.
He demanded that Noreen receive the best possible medical treatment under the supervision of senior cardiologists without delay, that her necessary diagnostic tests be conducted, and that her family be allowed access in accordance with applicable law.
'The authorities must provide her family with complete, credible and timely information about her condition,' the PTI leader stressed.
Akram warned the government against disregarding fundamental rights in what he described as the pursuit of political objectives, saying the PTI would not compromise on the protection of human life, health or constitutional freedoms under any circumstances.
Health of the elderly in custody
The episode raises a question that transcends party lines: how does the state treat its elderly detainees? Hum News reported that the 70-year-old was moved to the cardiology hospital after her health deteriorated in jail, and that family sources said no relative had been informed of the transfer. The News likewise reported that she was shifted to the PIC after experiencing chest pain, citing her lawyer.
Whatever one's political loyalties, the dignity of an ailing woman in her seventies is not a partisan matter. Islam teaches that even the prisoner retains rights that no authority may trample, and the state that honours those rights strengthens its own moral authority before its people. A government confident in its case need not fear a family visit to a hospital bed.
At the same time, the law must take its course. The MPO exists precisely to prevent the kind of street agitation that has, in living memory, paralysed the federal capital and endangered public life. If the courts find the detentions justified, they stand; if not, they fall. That is the constitutional path, and it is the only path worthy of a nation built on the promise of law and faith.
What happens next
Sanaullah has promised to seek details on the family access question and to address permission to meet Noreen depending on hospital circumstances. The PTI, for its part, has demanded explanations from the Punjab government and says it will press the matter of prisoners' rights.
The sisters' current 30-day detention term, extended on October 7, continues under the MPO, and any further extension or release now rests with the Lahore deputy commissioner and, ultimately, with the courts.
Frequently asked questions
Why was Noreen Niazi taken to hospital?
She was shifted from Kot Lakhpat jail to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology in Lahore on Wednesday after experiencing heart-related discomfort, according to her lawyer Rana Mudassar Umar.
What did the government say about her condition?
Adviser to the Prime Minister Rana Sanaullah told the Senate on Thursday that Noreen was immediately provided medical facilities, that she is fine, and that all her medical tests are normal.
Why are Imran Khan's sisters in detention?
Noreen, Aleema Khan and Uzma Khan have been held since September 21 under the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance on the Lahore deputy commissioner's orders, ahead of a PTI protest march on Islamabad. Their 30-day detention was extended on October 7.
Will her family be allowed to visit her?
Sanaullah said the government would seek details on the family access issue and address permission to meet Noreen depending on circumstances at the hospital.