Former Federal Petroleum Minister Anwar Saifullah, who is a son-in-law of former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan, former Punjab Chief Minister Manzoor Wattoo, former banker Younus Habib, Air Marshall (Retd) Waqar Azim and Jaffer Laghari, a close relative of former president Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari, were among the 12 defaulters arrested while raids were conducted at the residences of several other defaulters in Sindh, Punjab and NWFP in a major crackdown during the early hours today, reports said.

In Karachi, PPP leader Mir Nadir Magsi was arrested from his Clifton residence. A party spokesman said Magsi was picked up at 0340 hrs. A majority of the arrests were made in Islamabad and Peshawar, reports said.

Atop executive of the Ittefaq group, owned by the family of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif, also was among the arrested, unconfirmed reports said.