Over 5,500 people arrested in Pakistan under emergency regulations have been released and others who are still in detention will be freed in the next few days, caretaker Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz Khan said on Friday.
Most of the arrests had been made by the four provincial governments and the federal government has taken up the matter with them to ensure the release of the detainees, Khan said.
He, however, cautioned that those who had been set free should not again break the law as this would bring law enforcement agencies into action.
"They should not indulge in any activities that break the law," Khan told Dawn news channel.
Those who are still under arrest, including Supreme Court Bar Association president Aitzaz Ahsan, will be released in the next few days, he said.
Khan also said that deposed Supreme Court judges were enjoying "adequate freedom and are free to go anywhere".
The deposed judges including former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, however, say they continue to be under house arrest.
Large police contingents prevented Chaudhry and deposed Justice Rana Bhagwandas from leaving their homes earlier this week.
Khan said the emergency had been imposed on November 3 to bolster the fight against terrorism and extremism. The environment that resulted in the imposition of emergency is still there, he said.