They were arrested for possession of weapons and disturbing peace and cases of high treason were registered were registered against them.
Critics find the move surprising and say it reflects the government s weakness.
They also question the manner in which provinces are likely to spend the Rs 100 million the federal government is to allocate them to defray the costs of the campaign. Incidentally, a large sum from this money would not be audited since it would be given to the informers anyone who will lead the teams to illegal arms and ammunition. Last week, TFT reported how the ST activists were brandishing arms during the funeral procession of the slain ST leader, Salim Qadri, while federal interior minister, Moinuddin Haider, speaking at the Muslim Gymkhana, was claiming the drive to be a success. Now, even as the Sindh home secretary, Brigadier Mukhtar, told a press conference that the arrested ST leaders and activists would be dealt with severely for carrying arms and calling for a shutdown, orders from above forced the provincial government to release the ST activists. If they cannot even detain culprits from whom weapons are recovered and against whom cases of high treason have been registered, how can they disarm the highly trained militants of the various ethnic and sectarian groups and recover the thousands of illegal weapons in the city, asks a political analyst.