HYDERABAD, June 9: Some leaders of the PPP (SB) and the SPSF (SB) have warned the authorities that if their colleague Ali Ahmed Palepoto was not released in 24 hours, the party will start a series of protest demonstrations on Monday.

Palepoto was arrested on Saturday for his alleged involvement in Surgeon Mohammad Hussain Leghari kidnapping case.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Sunday, Piral Majeedano, member, Sindh Council, PPP (SB), Karim Soho, general secretary, SPSF (SB), and others said that on the night of June 7, Bhitai Nagar SHO Eijaz Tareen came to the house of Palepoto in Qasimabad in civvies and told him that the AIGP and the DPO wanted

to meet him in connection with Surgeon Mohammad Hussain Leghari kidnapping case. Palepoto accompanied the SHO to AIGP’s house where talks were held for several hours.

They said investigation SP Abdul Sattar Detho, Aftab Nazimani, Salim Rind and some other police officers also came there and took Palepoto into custody in presence of the AIGP and the DPO. Since then, whereabouts of Palepoto were not known, they said.

They feared that Palepoto might be implicated in false cases and added that public should be informed in which crime Palepoto was arrested.

They said Palepoto’s arrest was a conspiracy against Shaheed Bhutto group which would not be tolerated.

Answering a question, they said the involvement of SHO Eijaz Tareen in the kidnapping of Surgeon Leghari could not be ruled out.

They said two of the alleged kidnappers of Surgeon Leghari, Nehal Tehlani and Sarwar Mangi, who had remained activities of the Shaheed Bhutto group, belonged to the “B” team of SHO Eijaz Tareen, who himself was a former activist of the Sindh People’s Students Federation.

The police are also reported to have picked up Bashir Ahmed Siyal from the court premises on Sunday. Other Shaheed Bhutto group activists have already been detained unofficially in the Surgeon Leghari kidnapping case.