LAHORE, April 8: The Jamaat-i-Islami has denounced manhandling and torture of former Sindh chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim and violating the sanctity of the highest provincial forum by PPP activists.

Secretary-General Syed Munawwar Hasan and naib amir Liaquat Baloch said in their separate statements on Tuesday that PPP legislators and activists’ misbehaviour with Arbab was unbecoming, especially at a time when the country was facing multiple crises and needed strengthening of democratic traditions.

Both the leaders were also critical of the vague statements being issued by PPP leaders about reinstatement of the deposed judges.

They said rumours were rife that deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry would be retired soon after restoration.

They warned that lawyers, civil society and people would not accept any constitutional package minus Justice Chaudhry.

Delay in the release of nuclear scientist Dr AQ Khan as well as PPP leaders’ statements of working with President Pervez Musharraf also irked the Jamaat leadership.