Ahsan, the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, vowed shortly after his release that the legal fraternity would stage protests if the new parliament did not reinstate the judges who were deposed during the emergency.
“We want to give the parliament an opportunity to reinstate the judges and remove restrictions on the media,” he told reporters.
Ahsan was freed after the government of Punjab province withdrew police contingents posted outside his residence here today. The order for Ahsan’s detention has been renewed for the past three months but no fresh renewal was made after it lapsed at the end of February.
Punjab’s Home Secretary Khusro Pervaiz said the government decided to release Ahsan following the completion of the first phase of transfer of power after the announcement of the final election results.