LAHORE, Jan 10: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has alleged that police had detained a number of PML-N leaders in Sialkot on Tuesday who had planned to protest against the mounting cost of living.

Punjab PML-N President Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa said PML-N MNA Khwaja Mohammad Asif and MPA Imran Ashraf were detained at their residences while hundreds of other workers, including Manshaullah Butt, Idrees Bajwa, Hasan Husain and Asif Mahmood Soni were sent to jail on Tuesday night.

Mr Khosa said police had reacted to frustrate the call of PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif to hold peaceful rallies across Punjab on Jan 10 against the mounting cost of living. Police arrested several office bearers at a wedding ceremony, a press release issued by Mr Khosa said.

They were taken into custody in a manner as if they were criminals, he said. He condemned the incident and demanded their release.