RAWALPINDI: The 36 workers of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), who were arrested on the return of Tahirul Qadri from abroad on June 23 and granted bail on Wednesday, have been detained for 15 more days.

Besides PAT workers, some other people, who had nothing to do with the opposition rallies, were picked up for allegedly having links with PAT. Their families are running from pillar to post to convince the district administration and the police to release them from Central Jail Adiala where they are languishing since August 7.

Though the government did not arrest the local leaders of the PTI and PAT before August 14, it detained 345 workers of both the parties in the Rawalpindi region, security sources said.

Activists detained on June 23 were granted bail four days ago

Among those detained under section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) was Subhan Khan, a juvenile. He has been kept in Central Jail Adiala.

Besides, 157 people are in Adiala jail, 61 in Attock jail, 65 in Gujrat district jail, 38 in the district jail of Jhelum and 23 in Mandi Bahauddin jail.

According to sources, some of the opposition party workers were detained for 30 days and some for 40 days. However, it is up to the district administration to issue orders for their release.

Arif Saleem, a lecturer, was delivering lecture at his academy in Sadiqbad in the evening of August 7 when police picked him up on suspicion of having links with PAT.

“My brother’s academy is located close to Minhajul Quran school of PAT, which was why he was picked up by the police,” Kashif Saleem, the brother of Mr Arif, told Dawn.

He added: “The police did not inform us of my brother’s detention for about one week. However, after one week, we were told that he was detained in Adiala jail and could only be released on the directions of the district coordination officer (DCO) and the city police officer.”

He said the family filed an application with the DCO office which was marked to the CPO who then forwarded the application to the concerned ASP. He further sent it to the SHO Sadiqabad.

The SHO first refused to entertain the application but later when an affidavit, stating that Mr Arif had no links with Minhajul Quran, was presented, he sent back the application to the CPO for issuing release orders.

Mr Kashif added that despite repeated efforts, he could not convince the CPO to issue orders for his brother’s release.

“Our family, especially my brother’s wife and two children, have been in distress since my brother was picked up by the police.”

He said he appeared before the CPO on Saturday to request him to order release of his brother as his clearance report was lying on his table.

“But the CPO asked his subordinates to put the detention cases aside as he can’t see them now,” Mr Kashif said, adding he was very disappointed with the CPO’s attitude.

Around 1,200 to 1,300 PAT workers were booked and 53 people arrested under the Anti-Terrorism Act for allegedly attacking the police on June 23.

Of the 53 PAT workers, 17 were granted bail by a division bench of the LHC Rawalpindi while the remaining 36 were detained for 15 days more instead of releasing them.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2014