LAHORE, Dec 20: The Punjab government on Friday released four of the nine people picked up by the FBI from Manawan, a village on the border of Pakistan and India.

Physician Ahmad Javed Khwaja, 65, and his eight family members, including his two doctor sons, as many brothers, three nephews and a guest, were taken into custody by the FBI and local law enforcers in a raid. Of them, three, including the physician and his two sons, according to his family, hold US nationality while one of his brother and a nephew have Canadian passports. “However, they have now settled in Pakistan,” the family said.

A top-ranking Punjab police official told Dawn that four people had been released on the direction of Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi when they were not found involved in any criminal activity. “This is what I know so far,” he said when asked for details.

However, a Punjab police spokesman later quoted the direction as saying: “Immediately release persons found innocent during investigation.”

Those set free are Pakistani nationals, he said and added that they included physician’s brother Ahmad Nadeem Khwaja, his two nephews, Hassan and Ali, and guest Farooq Mir.

Quoting the Punjab home department sources, the spokesman said a kalashnikov, other weapons, $109,500 and 95,000 Afghani were also seized from the house during the raid. He claimed that a few Arab women were also present in the house at the time of raid, but they were not arrested.

The spokesman denied that any of the arrested people had been handed over to a foreign agency. “Local police are investigating all arrested Pakistani nationals while those holding foreign passports are being questioned by a federal agency.”

He claimed that all legal and moral formalities were completely followed during the raid. However, the family said the law enforcers had acted like criminals when they conducted the raid.

In the meanwhile, some family members and residents held a protest against the arrests, which they termed unlawful, and blocked the GT Road for about two hours. They burnt tyres and chanted slogans against the government.

The Doctors Action Committee and the Islamic Medical Association (IMA) also staged a protest demonstration on The Mall after Friday prayers outside the Masjid-i-Shuhada.

Noted orthopaedic surgeon Prof Dr Amir Aziz, who was also picked up by the FBI on Oct 21, and was kept in custody for a month on suspicion of having links with Al Qaeda and its top leadership, and treating the injured Taliban, also participated in the demonstration.

“If somebody is suspected of doing something, he must be investigated by our own men,” he told a gathering of around 70 protesters. “There are our own law enforcement agencies and courts which only should question any suspect,” he said and demanded of the government that involvement of the foreign agencies in the country be stopped forthwith.

In reply to a query, Dr Amir said he had neither known Dr Ahmad Javed before nor had ever met him. However, he said Mr Ahmad enjoyed incredible reputation and had been doing well by treating 200 to 300 patients daily free of cost for the last several years.

Holding banners and placards inscribed with anti-US slogans, the protesters demanded immediate release of the physician and his other family members. They slammed the government action and termed the arrests illegal.

“This is a question of our sovereignty,” IMA President Dr Muhammad Afzal said and added that the people of Pakistan would continue their struggle against whom he called the exploiters. “We will continue until we have a single drop of blood.”

City chapter of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal also held a press conference at the Lahore Press Club and condemned the arrests.

It’s President Mian Maqsood Ahmad and Secretary-General Maulana Saifudin Saif questioned the legality of the arrests.

“How can the government protect the Constitution and the law when it fails to provide security to the people,” they said and added that the arrests were just an instance of the government’s failure to secure the people’s rights.

They announced a protest against the arrests for the coming Friday outside the Jamaat’s office on Lytton Road and a rally on The Mall.