LAHORE, Nov 21: Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan and 303 other political activists and leaders were released by the Punjab government on Wednesday night. Official sources said all detainees belonging to the Pakistan People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), the PTI and Jamaat-i-Islami, as well as the lawyers not facing serious charges had been freed under directions of caretaker Chief Minister Ejaz Nisar.

The sources said JI leader Liaquat Baloch was among those freed.

They said the fate of 13 lawyers who faced serious charges would be decided by courts.

“The released persons are basically those who had been put under preventive detention,” they said.

They said lawyers’ leaders Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan and Munir A. Malik were not among those released because they had been detained by the federal government.

Mr Khan, who was observing a hunger strike unto death in the Dera Ghazi Khan jail, gave a tough time to the prison authorities as he refused to even drink water despite repeated requests. The jail authorities offered him food and water on Tuesday and Wednesday but he refused, sources said.

He also disallowed a doctor to examine him.