In custody: Punjab govt pledges to release PAT workers

Judge blasts police during hearing, declares detentions unlawful

LAHORE: The Punjab government assured the Lahore High Court on Friday that all detained workers of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) would be released soon.

This undertaking was given by Wajahat Hamdan, the additional home secretary, during the hearing of five identical petitions challenging detention of the PAT workers in the province.

Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan of LHC declared the detention of the workers illegal and was going to order immediate release of the workers when the additional home secretary requested the judge to not pass a judicial order to this effect. He undertook that government would release all detained workers unconditionally and immediately.



During the course of the hearing, the secretary defended the detentions, saying the PAT workers were involved in anti-state activities. However, Justice Khan rejected the argument.

Earlier, Advocate Ishtiaq Chaudhry, who appeared on behalf of PAT, argued that the government was targeting party workers on political grounds. He said the government had detained at least 72 workers of the party and was not producing them before any court of law. He asked the court to set aside detention orders of these workers and order the government to release them.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20^th, 2014.