LAHORE, Nov 2: The ARD will continue its protest against the arrest of alliance president Javed Hashmi, says alliance chairman Makhdoom Amin Faheem.

Talking to reporters after attending the Chehlum of former ARD president Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan here on Sunday, he said they were trying to get Mr Hashmi released unconditionally. However, if their demand was ignored, a number of options, including a court arrest drive, were open to them.

A final decision in this regard would be taken after consulting all ARD constituents at the Nov 15 meeting, he added.

He said the government had arrested Mr Hashmi out of sheer frustration. “The rulers took the step when they thought that their control (over the government) was weakening.”

He rejected prime minister Jamali’s warnings and said the opposition would carve out its way.

The ARD leader said though they did not expect any good from the National Assembly speaker, the opposition would ask him to order production of Mr Hashmi in the house under rule 20.

He criticized the higher judiciary “for giving legal cover to illegal governments of dictators under the law of necessity.” He wanted the judiciary to stand against illegal takeovers in the larger national interest.

Other ARD leaders who attended the chehlum included Zafar Iqbal Jhagra, Saranjaam Khan, Tehmina Daultana, Khwaja Saad Rafiq, Qasim Zia, Khalid Kharal, Yusuf Raza Gilani, and Punjab Assembly deputy speaker Shaukat Husain Mazari.

Meanwhile, ARD chairman Amin Faheem has directed PPP leader Munir Ahmad Khan to continue working as the alliance’s deputy information secretary.

Mr Khan had quit when smaller components of the alliance criticized his presentation of a white paper on the completion of four years of Gen Musharraf regime after the death of Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan.

In his resignation, which was later rejected by PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto, he said the new alliance team had the right to choose a new spokesman.

Mr Faheem said as Munir Khan had been nominated deputy information secretary on the basis of the PPP share in the alliance, there was no question of electing a new person to the office from other components.