ISLAMABAD, March 8: Family members of the detained nuclear scientists on Monday staged a protest demonstration in front of the Parliament house and demanded their immediate release.

The protest was organized by Dr A.Q. Khan Rehai Committee and Mohib-i-Watan Forum. Speaking on the occasion, PML-N MNA Tehmina Daultana said this was the worst a nation could do to its heroes. "They were, they are and they will remain our heroes and time will prove as to who was guilty in the ongoing nuclear issue," she said.

The present mess Pakistan is in is only due to the military's uncalled for involvement in politics, she said, adding that "we will keep on raising our voices against such acts at every level, be it the floor of the National Assembly, the Senate or roads".

MNA Maimoona Hashmi, daughter of detained PML-N acting president Javed Hashmi, said the government was violating basic human rights in its handling of nuclear scientists.

"If somebody has done something wrong he/she should be given a free trial, but the way the government is dealing with nuclear scientists shows its hidden agenda," she said. Exiled political leaders should also be allowed to return so that a genuine political discourse could be restored in the country, she added.

Talking to this reporter, a protester said would anyone offer his or her services to the country after such a treatment. They (scientists) are the ones who made it possible for Pakistan to become one of the seven declared nuclear powers of the world. In return, their families have been resigned to continuous mental agony, he said.