LARKANA, Feb 27 A court official released seven people kept in illegal confinement in the lock-up after a raid on Bakrani police station on Friday.

The raid was ordered by the district and sessions judge after one Qabil Chandio of Madbaho village filed an application, accusing Bakrani police of arresting his relatives Rsohan, Shahnawaz, Alsam, Niaz Chandio and Mautbar and detaining them illegally.

The judge appointed judicial magistrate of Dokri Tahir Hussain Abro as raid commissioner with instructions to pay surprise visit to the police station.

The magistrate not only found the five men mentioned in the petition but also two others locked up with them at the police station.

He asked the officer on duty to produce any documents validating their arrests and he failed to justify their arrests.

Then the magistrate released all the seven including Mohammed Ali Hesbani and Hafeez Jatoi whose names were not on the list and asked SHO Yaseen Taggar to appear in court with record, if he had any, on Saturday.

DIPLOMAT The consul-general of Indonesia, Mr Mustakim, has invited traders to participate in the agriculture expo being held in Indonesia on March 13-15.

He said at a reception given in his honour by the Larkana Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday that Indonesia was the second largest trading partner of Pakistan in the ASEAN region and has emerged as the country's largest buyer with 20 per cent share in Pakistan's total exports.

He urged Pakistani businessmen to increase their country's share in bilateral trade because Pakistani products were quite popular in Indonesia.

He said that trade had been a key area between both countries since they signed friendship treaty in 1951 based on trust and mutual understanding.

The two countries shared common views on important global and regional issues and supported each other, he said.

He said that there was still a lot of potential in industrial sector, technical know-how and marine, air services that could be explored and exploited and Indonesia was keen to promote closer ties with Pakistan.