LAHORE, June 16: The Punjab government on Saturday withdrew detention orders of 180 political leaders and activists rounded up under the Maintenance of the Public Order 16, after a joint opposition assurance that its agitation would remain peaceful.

The government started detaining political activists for three months on June 4.

The provincial government also promised to release remaining detainees by Tuesday.

The decision came after a delegation of joint opposition comprising Punjab Pakistan People’s Party President Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Punjab Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal President Liaquat Baloch and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s lawmakers Khawaja Saad Rafiq and Malik Pervaiz met Punjab Home Secretary Khusrao Pervaiz.

Official sources said that the government would allow peaceful demonstrations, rallies and public meetings at designated places. The home secretary permitted the PPP to hold its meeting in Gujranwala on June 26.

They said the home department had released all those detained in 14 districts of south Punjab whereas those picked up in 11 districts of the central Punjab would be released either on Monday or Tuesday. The detention orders for the sick and old in these 11 districts were also withdrawn on Saturday.

They said the provincial government had issued detention orders for 325 political leaders and workers. Out of them 255 were released.

Sources said the home secretary conveyed to the opposition leaders the government would not stop any agitation if it was peaceful and held at the designated places.

He told them spots for public meetings and agitation had already been designated in all cities of the province, and the opposition should use them for their protests.

The opposition reportedly drew his attention towards some cases where police excesses had been committed. The home secretary promised to look into the matter.

A senior government officer said the government would release all the detainees by Tuesday because “its decision of detaining the opposition activists had borne fruit in the shape of the delegation’s meeting with the home secretary”.

Meanwhile, it was learnt that the provincial government would continue to allow lawyers’ rallies despite a ban on the activity in the province to avoid confrontation with them.

PPP: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) demanded on Saturday the release of all of its arrested or detained workers by June 20 or a peaceful protest campaign would be started on June 21, the day when the party celebrates the birthday of its chairperson Benazir Bhutto.

The deadline was set after a meeting of the party’s provincial executive held under the chairmanship of Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Before announcing the decision, a delegation of PPP, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PPP) and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) leaders called on the home secretary and the inspector-general (prisons) seeking the release of all arrested or detained leaders.

The delegation included PPP’s Mr Qureshi, Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas, Haji Azizur Rehman Chan and Zakariya Butt; PML-N’s Khwaja Saad Rafiq, Pervaiz Malik, Sardar Ayyaz Sadiq, Mian Marghoob and Chaudhry Shabbir Gujjar; and MMA’s Liaquat Baloch, Ehsanullah Waqas and Amirul Azeem.

The delegates told the home secretary and the prisons chief that Punjab was the only province in the country where political workers had been arrested or detained.

Mr Qureshi and Mr Abbas told reporters the Punjab government was panic-stricken.

They held the Punjab government responsible for the “murder” of Gujrat PPP leader Sarmad Mansoor.

Mansoor was under treatment at a Gujrat hospital on Wednesday when a deputy superintendent of police arrested him. They said doctors had told the police official the PPP leader was unable to travel but the DSP told him in writing that he would be responsible in case something happened to Mansoor. He died during detention at the Kot Lakhpat Jail on Thursday.

Mr Qureshi said the party parliamentarians would also protest the “murder” of the Gujrat leader.