PESHAWAR, Nov 8: Protest meetings will be held to condemn the arrest of PML-N’s acting president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi in Mardan on Nov 10, Charsadda on Nov 12, Peshawar on Nov 14 and at Nagoman Chowk on Nov 16, says party’s provincial chief Pir Sabir Shah.

He was speaking at a meeting participated by Pakistan Muslim League-N’s office-bearers and MPAs.

Criticizing Mr Hashmi’s detention, he said actions of secret agencies had now become human right violations, adding that the PML-N leader’s arrest could not be termed a simple one.

Mr Hashmi’s arrest, he said, cast doubts over the present rulers’ credibility, adding that it seemed that the government was subservient to the military rulers.

Pir Sabir Shah said that the European Union and the Commonwealth had both criticised Mr Hashmi’s arrest, adding that they had gone so far as to term the act ‘shameful.’

The PML-N’s NWFP chief said that instead of being concerned about other matters, Western nations were now more concerned about human rights issues, adding that actions of the present rulers had tarnished Pakistan’s image abroad.

Terming treason charges against Mr Hashmi concocted, Pir Sabir Shah said the move had exposed the real character of the present rulers, adding that they were hoodwinking the world in the name of establishing real democracy in the country.

He also stressed the need for unifying democratic forces to begin the final struggle against the authoritarianism.

The meeting was attended, among others, by general-secretary of the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, provincial senior vice-president Mohammad Ali Khan Hoti, PML-N’s parliamentary leader Anwar Kamal Khan, MPAs Zafarullah Marwat, Sardar Mumtaz Ahmed, Malik Imran, Imtiaz Sultan Bukhari and provincial office-bearers, including Sharafat Ali Mubarak and Haji Mohammad Afzal.