By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: Lahore police on Friday arrested Shershah Khan, the second son of Aleema Khan, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, in connection with the violent May 9, 2023, riots, a day after his brother Shahrez Khan was detained for the same case, authorities confirmed.
Police said Shershah Khan was taken into custody from his residence in Lahore for his alleged involvement in the unrest, which saw PTI supporters vandalise military installations and state properties, including an attack on the Lahore corps commander’s residence, following Khan’s brief arrest in corruption charges.
A lawyer Rana Mudassir Umar said Shershah Khan was detained shortly after appearing at a Lahore anti-terrorism court (ATC) in relation to his brother’s case. “Shershah was taken from his house after his appearance at a Lahore anti-terrorism court,” Umar said.
The PTI condemned the arrest, describing it as an “abduction” in a statement on X. “The rule of law has been replaced with the law of the jungle,” the party said. The party claimed men in plainclothes had forcibly taken him from Aleema Khan’s residence.
Aleema Khan, addressing her son arrest on social media, accused authorities of brutality. “(The policemen) brutally assaulted our staff, harassed my daughter-in-law, and forcibly took away my son, Shahrez Khan, in front of his two young daughters.” Aleema Khan decried what she called a “reign of terror” by a “fascist regime” that has targeted thousands of homes and civilians over the past three years.
She remained defiant about Friday’s arrest, rejecting suggestions it was meant to intimidate the PTI. “Do we look like we will be scared of such things?” she said. “In every FIR (first information report), it is written: ‘Aleema Khan comes bringing Imran Khan’s message’. So if we have to bring Imran Khan’s message in every FIR, we will absolutely do that. We will absolutely be his voice and give his complete message.”
On Friday, a Lahore ATC sent Shahrez Khan on an eight-day physical remand in connection with the attack on Jinnah House during the May 9 riots. The suspect was presented before Judge Manzar Ali Gul, where the investigating officer said Shahrez Khan was named in the case on September 23, 2023, based on supplementary statements.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, representing Shahrez Khan, disputed the claims, arguing his client had never been named in the case prior to this. “This is harassment,” Raja told the court, noting Shahrez Khan had been in Pakistan for 27 months without prior arrest. He linked the detention to the Supreme Court’s recent approval of Imran Khan’s bail in eight May 9-related cases on Wednesday.
The investigating officer sought a 30-day remand, but the court granted eight days, ordering police to present Shahrez Khan at the next hearing. Outside the court, Raja told reporters the charges were “falsely implicated” and vowed to challenge them. “We will go to every court,” he said. “This is a message to the nation that there is no law in this country.”
Raja further alleged Shahrez Khan was in Chitral, a northern Pakistani region, during the May 9 riots, calling the case a “well-thought-out conspiracy.” The PTI said “family and friends of Shahrez shared pictures, videos, and WhatsApp messages, including timestamps and metadata,” showing he was in Chitral from May 6 to May 12, 2023. PTI lawyer Taimur Malik reiterated: “The fact is that he was in Chitral during that week in May 2023 and was simply not present in Lahore.”
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry, speaking on a local television defended the arrests, rejecting claims they were politically motivated. “They cannot be chalked off as fake, fabricated, or politically motivated,” he said, asserting both brothers were present during the Jinnah House vandalism. “One was on the vehicle on which Hassaan Niazi was making his speech, and the other, when he was arrested, himself told that he was also present there.”
Chaudhry dismissed PTI’s claims about Shahrez’s whereabouts, arguing that evidence collection takes time. “If there will be no evidence, then definitely, if his uncle (Imran Khan) can get bail … then so will he,” he said. “To say that this was preplanned or something, then the arrest would’ve been made a long time ago.”
The arrests stem from the May 9, 2023, protests by PTI supporters following Khan’s arrest, which sparked nationwide violence. Demonstrators attacked military and state properties, including the Lahore corps commander’s residence, leading to the arrest of thousands, including PTI leaders. Khan, detained since August 2023 in cases related to state gift sales and a £190 million graft case, faces ongoing trials linked to the riots.
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