Michael Polak, Director of Justice Abroad, Files Urgent Application to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Demanding Release of Aleema Khanum, Sister of Imran Khan
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
21 September 2026
London, United Kingdom — Michael Polak, Director of Justice Abroad and Barrister at Church Court Chambers, has today filed an urgent application to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) on behalf of Mrs Aleema Khanum, the 68-year-old sister of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was arrested and detained by Pakistani authorities on 20 September 2026.
The application, submitted to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and copied to the UN Special Rapporteurs on Freedom of Expression, Assembly, and Belief sets out in comprehensive detail why Mrs Khanum's detention is arbitrary, politically motivated, and in breach of international law. Mr Polak is calling upon the Working Group to treat the application as a matter of the utmost urgency given the recent increase in the intensity of the repression against Imran Khan’s family and to order her release as soon as possible.
The Arrest
Mrs Khanum was seized outside her home in Lahore on 20 September 2026, along with her driver and vehicle. Pakistani authorities initially denied detaining her before being forced to confirm her arrest after her vehicle was identified parked outside a police station. It has since been reported that two of Imran Khan's other sisters were also seized from the same property and remain in custody. Mrs Khanum is believed to be held at Kot Lakhpat Jail.
Pakistani authorities first denied seizing Mrs Khan but later confirmed that she is detained under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance — a provision that grants the Government sweeping powers to detain individuals for up to six months without charge, without trial, and without any judicial authorisation.
The Broader Pattern of Persecution
Mr Polak's UN application documents a sustained campaign of state persecution against Imran Khan, his family, and supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, dating back to August 2023. Key incidents include:
The imprisonment of Imran Khan since August 2023 following what observers widely described as a manipulated electoral and judicial process, including his being forced to contest the February 2024 general election — described as "the least credible in the country's history" — from prison, with his party banned from displaying its logo on ballot papers;
The arrest of Mrs Khanum and her sister Dr Uzma Khan in October 2024 during peaceful protests, detained under terrorism provisions, with criminal cases subsequently and impossibly registered against them in Lahore for events that took place whilst they were in custody in Islamabad;
The sentencing of Imran Khan's nephew, Barrister Hassaan Niazi, to ten years in military custody despite being a civilian; and
Persistent police obstruction — including baton charges and brief detentions — of Mrs Khanum and her sisters' weekly visits to Imran Khan at Adiala Jail. Mrs Khanum currently faces approximately sixty to seventy nominated criminal cases, all arising from her peaceful pro-democracy advocacy.
The Legal Case Before the United Nations
In his application, Mr Polak submits that Mrs Khanum's detention is arbitrary on multiple grounds under international law:
Breach of the ICCPR: The detention of Mrs Khanum's was done because of her exercising her rights to freedom of expression (Article 19), freedom of association (Article 22), and participation in public affairs (Article 25), and in a discriminatory manner on grounds of political opinion (Article 26);
Violation of the Johannesburg Principles: The MPO Ordinance fails to meet the strict standards of legality, specificity, and foreseeability required when restricting freedom of expression on national security grounds. The Ordinance has no genuine national security purpose in its application here — it is being used to silence a peaceful advocate, not to protect the Pakistani state;
Absence of due process: The entire purported MPO process — the intelligence committee meeting, evidence gathering, and the issuing of the detention order — is stated to have occurred on the same morning as the issue of the order of arrest, making it impossible for the required legal process to have been properly followed; and
Discriminatory detention: Consistent with the Working Group's own Opinion No. 81/2020, the detention of Mrs Khanum on account of her pro-democracy views and advocacy gives rise to a strong presumption of a violation of international law on grounds of discrimination based on political opinion.
Application of law in breach of human rights law: the Working Group has repeatedly held that detention pursuant to a law inconsistent with international human rights law is itself arbitrary (Opinions No. 4/2019, 69/2018, and 40/2018).=
Michael Polak:
Michael Polak, Director of Justice Abroad, stated: "This is an abuse of state power on an extraordinary scale to persecute the family members of Imran Khan whilst he is in gaol in an attempt to prevent them from supporting him and advocating for democracy in Pakistan.
This application to the United Nations is necessary because domestic avenues have been rendered effectively useless by a government that ignores the rulings of its own courts. Mrs Khan is a 68-year-old woman who has done nothing more than speak out for her brother and for the democratic rights of the Pakistani people. Her arrest is timed precisely, in an effort to dissuade the public from joining a pro-democracy march due to take place on 27 September 2026. We believe that the authorities actions will have the opposite effect.
The Pakistani Interior Minister has publicly stated that the Government will do everything in its power to stop the march. Mrs Khanum's arrest — and the simultaneous detention of her sisters and even her own son — is clear evidence of what that statement means in practice. The United Nations and international community need to act now to prevent further democratic backsliding in Pakistan.”
There has been press coverage of the UN application:
Michael Polak has previous chaired an independent review into the conditions for a free and fair election in Pakistan on 8 February 2024. Details of this and the report produced can be accessed here.
Notes for the Press
Michael Polak is an international barrister based in London. He practises in international, criminal, and human rights law from Church Court Chambers. Michael is also Director of Justice Abroad which helps people who need assistance dealing with legal proceedings overseas as well as working on human rights advocacy for groups and individuals. He is chair of the group Lawyers for Uyghur Rights, was awarded the International Bar Association’s Outstanding Young Lawyer Award for 2021, and is shortlisted as Junior of the Year at the Legal 500 Awards to be determined on 22 September 2026.
For comments on this case by Michael Polak, please email contact@justiceabroad.co.uk or call +44 (0)203 488 2316