FAISALABAD, Nov. 20: The local police arrested five PML-N leaders, including two former MNAs, during a crackdown launched here on Thursday night.

Special police teams, headed by City and Gulberg ASPs, raided a number of houses and offices of PML-N leaders and rounded up former MNA Chaudhry Sher Ali from his Nazimabad residence. Former MNA Mian Abdul Mannan and his son Mian Muhammad Irfan were arrested from their Madina Town residence.

Similarly, the police arrested Clock Tower Union Council Nazim Khawaja Ijaz Ahmed Munna from his Jhang Bazaar residence while the arrest of PML-N leader Khalid Saeed Gill had been made from his residence in Peoples Colony.

According to police, the arrests have been made on charges of making provocative speeches against the government, raising objectionable slogans, disrupting peace, staging an unlawful demonstration and levelling allegations against president Pervez Musharraf and army generals.

The police teams also raided the house of PML-N city president and former MPA Khawaja Muhammad Islam in Kutchery Bazaar, but he managed to escape from the scene by taking advantage of darkness.

Raids were also conducted on the houses and offices of deputy opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly, Rana Sanaullah Khan, ex-MNA Safdar Rehman, ex-MPA Zahid Mehmood Goraya, PML-N leader Shahbaz Kissana and scores of other party activists and leaders.

The operation against the local PML-N leaders was continuing till the filing of this report and further arrests were expected late at night.

A senior police officer on the condition of anonymity told Dawn that a formal case had already been registered against PML-N Punjab president Zulfiqar Khosa, provincial secretary-general Khawaja Saad Rafique, PPP Punjab president Qasim Zia, deputy parliamentary leader in the PA, Rana Sanaullah Khan, ex-MNAs Chaudhry Sher Ali, Mian Abdul Mannan, Chaudhry Safdar Rehman, former MPA Khawaja Muhammad Islam and some other PML-N leaders and office-bearers under section 16 MPO.

He further disclosed that the offences mentioned in the FIR could be changed at any time as instructions in this regard had been sought from senior provincial authorities.

Meanwhile, the provincial government asked the local administration to shift all the arrested persons to the Bahawalpur jail.