Awami League (AL) General Secretary Abdul Jalil yesterday demanded immediate release of AL President Sheikh Hasina's assistant personal secretary (APS) Dr Awlad Hossain and two others, who were arrested on Wednesday night.

Though it was reported that two of them were freed later, the party sources confirmed yesterday that all three are still in custody of the security personnel and were kept in an unknown place.

The other two are -- Mahmud Hasan Babul AL chief's personal staff and Sarwar Hossain, president of AL's Canada unit.

In a statement, Jalil said that the people had welcomed the anti-crime drive since the new caretaker government (CG) assumed office.

"But we think the incidents of arresting innocent citizens who abide by law will hamper the main objective of the drive," Jalil, also the coordinator of the 14-party alliance, said adding that the commoners of the country expect that the CG will arrest those who were involved with criminal activities, killings, lootings and wide scale corruption in the last five years.

The drive will not be a sign of neutrality for the CG any more if the innocent AL leaders are arrested without any reason, he noted.

The AL leader also termed the incident of barring Tanjim Ahmed Sohel Taj, a former AL lawmaker, from travelling to India on January 28 at the airport,'sad.'

Ghasful, an organisation for children and adolescents, in a statement also demanded that the chief adviser should release Awlad if there is no allegation against him.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement the AL general secretary termed the statement of Nobel Laureate Prof Yunus in which he blamed the country's politicians for the failure to develop the power sector, 'a matter of sorrow.'

"Without specifically accusing the BNP-Jamaat government's failure for the current frail state of the power sector, Dr Yunus has covered up the truth," Jalil said adding that the AL government while in office from 1996 to 2001, raised power production from 1700 MW to 4300 MW by adopting proper planning. A large number of rural people of some 16 thousand villages had been provided with electricity by setting up a total of 54 thousand kilometres of electric lines, he said.

But the BNP led alliance government cancelled all the activities taken by the AL government for developing the power sector, Jalil said adding that the power production fell drastically due to widespread corruption and mismanagement of the previous government.

"Only to demonstrate so-called neutrality, Dr Yunus has accused all the politicians indiscriminately and declined to note the contribution of those who have worked for the people," theAL general secretary added.