KARACHI, Jan 11: Various trade unions on Friday demanded release of the Pearl Continental Hotel’s labour leaders who have been kept in an alleged illegal confinement for the past many days.

Speaking at a press conference the leaders of the trade unions said although the hotel management had only nominated unknown persons in the FIR of the fire incident, the CIA had taken into custody the union leaders.

Those in custody are: Mohammad Nasir (president), Ghulam Mahboob (general secretary), Bashir Hussain (joint secretary), Aurangzeb (vice chairman), Mohammad Ishaq (vice president), Mohammad Nawaz (social secretary), and Mr Chetan (member).

The trade union leaders said on the application of the PC union president’s mother, a team of the provincial ombudsman, led by Shahnaz Hamid, raided the CIA Centre and recovered the detained workers on Thursday.

They said the CIA presented the detained workers before the ombudsman and assured him that they would be released. But they have not been set free.

They said the hotel management was unhappy with the union for taking up the issue of over 350 workers who had been relieved from work a few weeks back.

The Switzerland-based IUF had already approached the Sindh governor, federal and Sindh labour ministers to look into the matter and ensure that no innocent person was victimized, the union leaders said, adding that the secretary general of the IUF, Ron Oswald, in his letter had said that they were also contacting the government of Belgium, as the hotel owner was its consul in Karachi.

Liaquat Sahi, Qamarul Hassan, Mohammad Khan Panhwar and others spoke on the occasion.