HYDERABAD, Nov 5: Police picked up 57 lawyers and more than 30 leaders and activists of opposition parties during a province-wide crackdown, which started in the wake of imposition of emergency and continued on Monday.

A spokesman for Sindh National Front claimed 150 of its activists had been arrested and Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz leaders said police had held more than 1,000 party workers.

In Hyderabad, police have not so far brought charges against those arrested last night and have kept them at different police stations till further directives.

They picked up Afzal Gujjar, Badar Soomro and Sultan Sheikh of PML-N, Dr. Abdul Samad Sheikh of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf, former union council nazim Tanvir Siddiqui, Ali Haris of Islami Jamiat-i-Talba, Ghulam Sarwar Buledi of Jamiat Talaba-i- Islam after pre-dawn raids in Latifabad, City, Qasimabad and other parts of the district.

They have been kept at Site, Latifabad, City and other police stations as they have not been remanded to judicial custody under Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO).

Sources in police said more raids would be conducted late into the night.

The SNF spokesman said that Husri police had arrested Shabbir Inqilabi and five other party activists and Tando Yousuf police had nabbed Akhtar Noonari, Mushtaq Memon, Qadir Sheikh. A total of 150 activists had been rounded up across the province, he claimed.

Police in Larkana arrested 17 and 16 workers of Jamaat-i-Islami. They are: Ayaz Soomro, Abdul Hamid Bhurgri, Babu Sarfraz Jatoi, former general secretary of High Court Bar Association Larkana and divisional president of PML (N), Muneer Ahmed Lashari, Mumtaz Ali Jokhiyo, Afzal Jagirani, Basheer Ahmed Bhutto, Abdul Nabi Sariyo, Israr Ahmed Soomro, Muhammed Aslam Jatoi, Saifullah Jatoi, Zulqarnain Abro, Tarique Atta Memon, Ahmed Ali Qureshi, Masood Ahmed Leghari, Abdul Qadir Sangi, Muhammed Rafique Jagrani, former JI district Ameer Shamasuddain Abbasi, Saleh Mirjat, Ali Buriro, Imdad Qadri, Rameez Raja Shaikh, Mushib Ali Dhamraho, Abdul Roud Jagirani, Ghani Abro, Nazar Ali Khaskheli, Syed Bakhshal Shah, Mehrab Bhatti, Allahwarayo Shaikh, Nasrullah Kalhoro, Kamran and Tauheed Athar Siyal.

In Nawabshah, police arrested general secretary of People’s Lawyers Forum, Ayaz Ali Gopang after a raid on his house. They also raided the houses of Hassan Tariq and other lawyers. The general secretary of DBA, Ziaul Hassan Lanjar had already been arrested on Sunday night.

In Dadu, police arrested DBA president Shafi Mohammad Memon and Barrister Pir Mujeebul Haq when they came out bar room to protest police action against their colleagues.

In Jacobabad, police arrested four advocates Sardar Khan Lashari, Sharfuddin Soomro, Mohammad Azeem Soomro and Bilawal Buriro, when they were working in their offices.

Police in Mirpurkhas arrested JSQM leader and former DBA president Ali Hassan Chandio advocate, and district PLF president Noor Ahmed Narejo after raids on their houses.

Report said that police also arrested JSQM activists in Digri, Umerkot, Kot Ghulam Mohammad.

Police in Sukkur arrested more than 30 lawyers and an unspecified number of political activists and sent acting chief of Sindh Bar Council Imdad Awan arrested a day ago to jail under MPO for 90 days.