RAWALPINDI, Nov 18: The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has demanded the government release all jailed political leaders including Asif Ali Zardari, former National Assembly speaker Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani and PML-N acting president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi.

In a statement, Qazi Sultan Mahmood, MPA Malik Aamir Piracha, Haji Salim Mughal, Banaras Chaudhry and Chaudhry Muqeem Khan also demanded that the government should allow PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto and PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif to return to the country.

They said the government had not only pushed the opposition against the wall but also ignored the welfare of labourers, workers and students.

They said all the democratic forces had reached the consensus that the army should be kept away from politics and for this a movement should be launched from the platform of the ARD.