Islamabad : In a major boost to the morale of anti-government protesters, a Pakistani court ordered the release of all arrested supporters of Imran Khan and cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri, a day after the two leaders suspended talks and mounted pressure on the embattled government, reports PTI.
Pakistani police arrested several protesters and a court ordered that 100 opposition activists be sent to jail on a 14-day remand for holding illegal protests and for other violations.
Out of the hundred, 91 workers belong to Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) while the remaining are Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers.
Chief Justice Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi of Islamabad High Court (IHC) set aside the orders of the lower court and ordered the release of the workers.
The judge also asked the government to file a reply over the arrests by September 17.
Both Khan and Qadri have alleged that hundreds of workers of their respective protesting groups have been arrested in a crackdown launched on Friday.
The government has said that only those people have been held who were involved in attacks on police and official buildings including the Pakistan Television office.
Sajjad Hussain
