GILGIT, Jan 5: Nine nationalist parties of Gilgit- Baltistan on Sunday decided to launch a campaign to protest against the arrest of their leaders and activists who had been arrested for making assertions against the Pakistani leaders.

Leaders of these parties were addressing a press conference in Gilgit.

These parties included the Col. Hassan Khan Memorial Society, the Gilgit-Baltistan Labour Party, the Balawaristan National Front, the Karakoram National Movement, the People’s Party, the Northern Areas People’s Party, the Gharib Ittehad Party, the Muttahida Qaumi Party and the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front.

Leaders of these parties termed the cases of sedition and other charges filed against Syed Haider Shah Rizvi and 100 other political activists unconstitutional and illegal and have asked the government to withdraw what they called these fake cases.

They said that the protest would also be against harassment, intimidation and implication of political activists in false cases.

They threatened to launch a Jail Bharo campaign in Gilgit, Skardu, Chilas, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Muzzaffarabad and Karachi if their leaders were not released and cases were not withdrawn.

Activists of various nationalist parties had been arrested in Gilgit for making assertions against Pakistani leaders during a protest rally in November last year on the occasion of the Liberation Day of Gilgit-Baltistan.

However, Mr Rizvi had evaded arrest by going into hiding.

Mr Rizvi was arrested on Friday when he appeared in a local court in Gilgit.

Three activists of the Karakorum National Movement and the Balawaristan National Front were also arrested in December but were released after two weeks.

ROAD COMPLETED: A 10-kilometre-long alternative road to the Karakoram Highway across the Indus River at Tatupani, Diamer district, has been completed and opened to light traffic, sources said.