ISLAMABAD - The Pakistani authorities have released more than 5,000 lawyers, political workers and rights activists who were arrested under emergency rule, according to local press reports.
Sarwar Hayat, an aide to caretaker Law Minister Afzal Haider, was quoted as saying that a total of 5,757 people had been detained since President Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency on November 3.
Some 5,134 people have been released up to 19:00 local time ( 1400 GMT) Wednesday, he said.
Of the remaining 623, he said that 202 were lawyers while 421 were either students or political workers. "Their release is also under consideration and it is expected that they would be freed in a few days," he added.
Earlier Wednesday, Pakistan's cricket legend and Chairman of the Pakistan Tehrik Insaaf (PTI) Imran Khan was released from the Dera Ghazi Khan jail in eastern Pakistan, according to the state- run PTV.
