Five more opposition leaders detained in Pakistan

KUN0011 4 GEN 0235 KUWAIT /KUNA-OAX5 SEC-PAKISTAN-OPPOSITION-ARRESTS Five more opposition leaders detained in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Nov 21 (KUNA)-- The police has detained Friday five more opposition leaders of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) led by former exiled Premier Mian Nawaz Sharief, while further arrests are expected soon. Earlier, President of Alliance for restoration of Democracy (ARD) and Acting President PML (N), Makhdom Javed Hashmi, was arrested from Parliamentarian lodges for denigrating the government and abetting riot. The arrests have been made in the wake of making offensive speeches against the government for arresting ARD chief, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, disrupting peace and leveling allegations against President General Pervez Musharraf and army generals. The police with the help of Securities Agencies raided a number of houses and offices of PML-N leaders on late Thursday and rounded up in detaining PML-N leader Khalid Saeed Gill, former Members of National Assembly (MNA) Chaudhry Sher Ali, Mian Abdul Mannan, his son Mian Muhammad Irfan and a local Union Council Nazim Khawaja Ijaz Ahmed Munna were arrested from their residences in eastern Faisalabad city, police sources said Friday. The sources told KUNA that the police teams also raided the house of PML-N Faislabad city President and former Parliamentarian Member (MPA) Khawaja Muhammad Islam but he managed to escape. They said further raids were also conducted on the houses and offices of deputy opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly and scores of other party activists and leaders. The operation against the local PML-N leaders is continued for staging unlawful demonstrations against the government and further arrests are expected soon, the sources revealed to KUNA. They said a formal case had already been registered against PML-N Punjab president Zulfiqar Khosa and other 'top guns', adding that crackdown against them would also be launched as soon as the instructions in this regard are sought from senior provincial authorities. (end) amn.bk KUNA 211110 Nov 03NNNN