SWABI, March 14 Amid reports of efforts to defuse the political tension in the country the law-enforcement agencies here have slowed their crackdown on the lawyers and leaders of opposition parties, sources say.

However, the leaders of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf, Jamaat-i-Islami and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and lawyers' leaders remained underground and declared that they did not believe in the statements issued by the PPP leaders.

They told this scribe from undisclosed locations on Saturday that they would move towards Islamabad to participate in the long march on Monday at all cost. “If the government is really interesting in an amicable settlement it should announce the restoration of the deposed judges,” said one of the hiding activists.

They condemned the ban on Geo news transmission by the government and said that it was against what had been pledged about the electronic and print media independence by the present government.

Asad Qaisar, PTI NWFP president said that former President Pervez Musharraf banned the private channels and paid a big price for that.

The present regime would meet the same fate, he said, adding that the determination of the lawyers and leaders of the political parties could not be broken.—Correspondent