LAHORE, Pakistan - After nearly two months behind bars, Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi Khan, the sisters of Pakistan's jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, have finally walked free from Kot Lakhpat maximum-security prison in Lahore. Their lawyer, Mudassar Umer, confirmed the release on Thursday, stating the two have arrived home safely.
However, the joy is far from complete. A third sister, Aleema Khan, who was arrested on the same day, remains detained. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party is crying foul over what they call 'selective relief.' PTI leader Zulfiqar Bukhari told Al Jazeera that the release of two sisters doesn't erase the injustice done to the family, demanding an end to the 'persecution.'
The arrest of the sisters occurred just a week before a planned PTI protest march on September 27, which was intended to demand Imran Khan's release. The government claimed the sisters were a threat to law and order. Uzma's son, Wali Khan, didn't mince words, calling the detention and subsequent release 'arbitrary' and questioning the legal basis for the 53-day ordeal.
Analisis Dampak: Pembebasan ini bisa dilihat sebagai upaya pemerintah Pakistan untuk meredakan tekanan internasional terkait kondisi kesehatan Imran Khan (yang sempat dirawat di rumah sakit karena masalah mata). Namun, dengan masih ditahannya Aleema Khan, PTI dipastikan akan terus menggalang massa. Bagi masyarakat Pakistan, ini adalah pengingat pahit bahwa hukum di sana masih tajam ke bawah dan tumpul ke atas, alias sangat politis. Situasi ini berpotensi memicu gelombang protes baru jika tuntutan pembebasan total tidak dipenuhi.