Eight more detainees released from jail
Eight more people, who were put behind bars for staging a protest against the alleged illegal recruitments in the Mangla dam extension project, were released from Mardan jail Tuesday.
Earlier, two detainees were released from the jail on medical grounds. Two drummers are also included among those who have been set free.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Malik Naveed Iqbal earlier held a meeting with the Haripur deputy commissioner and informed him about the financial difficulties of the detained people.
Following the meeting, the deputy commissioner issued orders for the release of eight people. The judicial magistrate had earlier rejected the bail pleas of six detained protesters.
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Social activist Erum Rasheed and others have been detained in jail for the last 20 days under the maintenance of public ordinance.
The protesters had blocked Barotha Road leading to Tarbela Dam for over 10 hours against the alleged irregularities in recruitments in the dam’s extension project.
Police baton-charged and arrested around 25 persons after they blocked a road in protest seeking jobs in the Tarbela dam extension project.
Earlier, Irum Rasheed had said that the Tarbela Dam general manager had assured them of recruiting locals for the hiring of T-4 and T-5 extension projects.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 29th, 2021.