LAHORE, Oct 25: The PML-N will launch a protest campaign from Monday in case the regime fails to have Dr Amer Aziz released by Sunday.

This was announced by party’s provincial secretary-general Khwaja Saad Rafiq at a news conference after a meeting of the legislators-elect and ticket holders from Lahore on Friday.

He said protest meetings would also be addressed by leaders of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, doctors and teachers. Already, he said, a protest campaign was going on against rigging.

The PML-N leader said the arrest of Dr Amer Aziz amounted to an attack on the independence and sovereignty of Pakistan. He said it was regrettable that the Musharraf regime had given a free hand to the American agencies to do in Pakistan whatever they wanted to.

He also demanded the release of outlawed Lashkar-i-Taiba and Jaish-i-Muhammad chiefs Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and Maulana Masood Azhar. He called for the release of his party’s acting president Makhdoom Javed Hashmi.

A committee has been constituted to select candidates for vacant seats of Nazimeen of various union councils. The committee comprises Haji Imdad Husain, Dr Asad Ashraf, Naseer Bhutta, Mian Marghoob, Pervaiz Malik and Saba Sadiq.

Answering a question, Saad alleged the various state agencies had forced the independent legislators-elect to join the PML-Q. However, he said, PML-N legislators-elect were loyal to their leadership who would not change their loyalties at any cost.