Islamabad, Sep 19 (IANS): Terming the arrest of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) workers as unlawful, the Lahore High Court (LHC) Friday directed the authorities to apprise the court in written after releasing the arrested political activists, a media report said.

Cleric Tahir-ul Qadri's party PAT had challenged as illegal the arrests of 56 of its workers in a petition, DawnNews reported.

Qadri, along with thousands of his supporters, has been protesting against the governments of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for more than a month in front of the Parliament in Islamabad.

The court Friday said the Punjab government does not issue similar directives against hoarders and black marketers, whereas poor are detained without official orders in the name of disrupting peace.

The additional home secretary requested the court to divert all such applications to him and vowed to take a brisk action on them. However, rejecting the request, the LHC declared detention of the arrested workers illegal.

The court also directed for apprising it in writing after releasing the PAT workers.