Amid mounting US pressure on Pakistan for restoration of civil liberties, the government has released 3,416 political detainees including lawyers, who were arrested after the imposition of emergency on November 3.
Another 2,000 prisoners will be freed soon. However, some detainees are facing criminal charges and courts will decide on their release when they file bail applications, Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said on Tuesday.
The development follows the recent visit to Islamabad of US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, who bluntly asked President Pervez Musharraf to end emergency, release political prisoners and doff uniform.
Responding to a question about deposed judges of the Supreme Court, Cheema said they are "free to go to their homes if they so desire".
He said they were living in their official residences at "their own choice".
But the families of sacked judges, including former Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, have said they were in custody and police deployed outside their houses were barring them from going out.
Thousands of political workers, rights activists and lawyers have been arrested under emergency regulations.
Responding to a question about lifting the emergency imposed by President Pervez Musharraf on November 3, Cheema said the objectives for which the measure was clamped have not yet been "fully achieved".
Cheema said efforts are underway to improve the law and order situation, which is essential to complete the transition to full democracy.
He pointed out that with the induction of caretaker governments at the Centre and in the provinces, preparations for the "peaceful conduct of free, fair and transparent elections are well on course".
While peaceful protests are a part of the democratic process, the government will not allow any attempt to create disturbances in the run up to the polls, he said.
Answering a question about the situation in Swat, Cheema expressed confidence that the government will be able to restore normalcy in the valley in the North West Frontier Province in three to four weeks.
He said there are certain foreign elements operating in Swat and the army is "leading efforts to neutralise hardcore militants and their foreign abettors in Swat."
"In this campaign the focus is also on avoiding any harm to the peaceful local population. All precautionary measures are being taken to achieve this objective while maintaining the thrust to reign in and eliminate militants involved in anti-state activities," he said.
Cheema said it is imperative that people in Swat are able to take part in the forthcoming polls.
