Detained MPs of Imran's party allowed to join parliament

ISLAMABAD, Sept 12 (AFP): Several Pakistan MPs detained under new protest laws after demonstrating in support of jailed former premier Imran Khan were allowed to attend parliament Thursday.

Ten MPs were arrested this week, some from their offices in the National Assembly in the capital Islamabad, and charged Tuesday under a week-old protest law and the anti-terrorism act.

They were remanded in custody for eight days but several appeared in parliament Thursday, saying the speaker ordered they be allowed to attend sessions before returning to custody.

"I thank the speaker for the production order," MP Sher Afzal Khan Marwat told the chamber.

"The hate on the floor of the assembly is affecting the entire country," he added, of the increasingly fraught political environment.

Thousands of Khan supporters gathered in Islamabad on Sunday for a peaceful rally that was broken up with tear gas when crowds failed to disperse.

Authorities had granted permission for the rally but ordered it to end at a set time, warning of legal action if supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party violated the terms of the agreement.

It was the first demonstration since the government passed a new law regulating public gatherings, which rights groups have said is designed to crush protest.