GUJRAT, Feb 2: Hundreds of the activists of Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on Saturday staged a protest demonstration and a sit-in in front of the DPO office for `discriminating’ against the candidates of the both mainstream opposition parties.

They warned if police did not change its attitude towards opposition candidates an agitation would be launched against DPO Mahmoodul Hasan Qureshi.

The demonstrators were being led by PPP candidate for NA-105 Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Nawabzada Ghanzanfar Ali Gull (NA-104), Qamar Zaman Kaira (NA-106), Nasir Samman (PP-110), Tanvir Ashraf Kaira (PP-112), Haji Nasir Mahmood of PML-N (PP-111), Shabir Gondal (PP-108 and PP-109) and others.

Hundreds of the political activists and supporters of PPP and PML-N candidates assembled at district courts, chanting slogans against the DPO and police for registration of what they called baseless cases against opposition candidates and their supporters. The protestors also staged a sit-in there for more than an hour.

They were demanding the release of Iftikhar Samman, an uncle of PPP candidate Nasir Samman who is contesting against Monis Elahi, the son of former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi of PML-Q.

They also protested arrests of three other supporters of Nasir Samman who were allegedly booked for keeping illegal arms by Kunjah police on Jan 31.

Sources said on Friday a delegation of PPP candidates led by Ahmed Mukhtar had called on the DPO and asked him to release the arrested men on which the officer assured them that they would be released.

However, as the supporters of Nasir Samman and other PPP workers were bringing Iftikhar Samman and his supporters out of the Kunjah police station, police again arrested them.

On Saturday, DPO Mahmoodul Hassan Qureshi told the PPP leaders that the arrested men could only be released after the approval of their bail by judicial magistrate.

Ahmed Mukhtar told protestors that the DPO had become a party and was openly discriminating against PPP and PML-N candidates.

He said PPP candidates were being booked in false cases despite having licensed weapons, whereas PML-Q aspirants were free to brandish illicit arms and harass the PPP workers.

He said if PPP candidates were provided police guards they would not keep even the licensed weapons and that he was ready to pay for their security.

He deplored that his opponents, Chaudhrys of Gujrat, had been provided police protection but even then they had armed bodyguards.

Source said at a meeting with the PPP leaders the DPO had assured them that he would talk to police high-ups for the provision of security to party candidates.

Talking to the journalists, the DPO claimed he would ensure implementation of election rules in Gujrat and nobody would be permitted to keep the arms and strict action would be taken against violators.

Earlier, Shabir Gondal, a PML-N candidate for PP-108 and PP-109, Raja Naeem Nawaz (PP-114) and others had been booked for allegedly keeping illegal weapons.

The growing tension between the candidates of PML-Q, and those of PML-N and PPP could result in a violent clash between the rivals, especially on the polling day, independent observers apprehend.

Meanwhile, judicial magistrate Tariq Zia has accepted the bail applications of Iftikhar Samman and other PPP men and all of them had been released.