Pakistan detains opposition leaders

by Al Jazeera (reposted)

Sun, Sep 23, 2007 8:07AM

Sunday, September 23, 2007 : Officials say 35 people could be arrested to stop protests against the president.

Officers started arresting political figures on Saturday night and continued into Sunday, taking 14 people in total. Further arrests are expected during the day.

Most of those taken belong to the party led by Nawaz Sharif, the exiled former prime minister, whose return to Pakistan was blocked earlier this month.

Security officials said that police in the capital, Islamabad, had been ordered to put about 35 opposition leaders into preventive custody.

Chaudhry Mohammad Ali, Islamabad's commissioner, said: "We have detained 14 people as a preventive measure. They have given calls for protests and we have fears that they may create disturbances in the coming days."

Opposition outcry

Ahsan Iqbal, spokesman for the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), who is wanted by Pakistani police and currently in hiding, commented on the latest sweep of arrests.

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For more information: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/31B...

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