RAWALPINDI, March 1: Emergency was declared in the Adiala jail on Tuesday when a group of 180 Pakistani prisoners released from Guantanamo Bay prison camp and Afghan jails held the jail staff hostage in protest against what they called their illegal detention, a security source said.

The 180 prisoners have been in Adiala jail since November 7, 2004 and they are demanding their release, as they have completed their 90-day imprisonment on February 4, 2005.

The jail authorities declared emergency at 10am for two hours when these prisoners kept in barrack 6 got provoked and started chanting slogans and reportedly held the jail superintendent, Shahidullah Baig, and the other jail staff hostage while they were on their routine checking, the jail sources said.

The prisoners who are between 25-35 years of age, were put in Haripur jail after their release from Cuba and Afghan jails. Later on November 7, 2004 they were shifted to Adiala jail for 90 days.

The prisoners demanded that they should be released, as they had completed their 90-day imprisonment under 3 Maintenance of Public Order (MPO). "Neither we are being released nor the government is extending our imprisonment period, as we have not committed any crime in Pakistan," the source quoted these prisoners as saying.

The situation came under control after two hours when the jail authorities assured them that their cases had been sent to their respective local areas for clearance. Later the protesting prisoners were put in different barracks.

These prisoners have already been grilled by the intelligence and other law enforcement agencies. A jail official told Dawn that nobody was hurt during the protest. This was the second such protest by the Pakistani prisoners in Adiala jail.