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TIMERGARA, Jan 16: The police arrested about 27 activists of the banned extremist organizations in Lower Dir as a good number of other activists have gone underground.
Some of the detainees were identified as Mohammad Nagin Khan, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor, Sangin Khan, and Maulana Hamdullah, all from Tanzim Nifaz Shariat-i-Mohammadi.
Mnay top TNSM men have gone underground to escape the arrest and the police have been conducting raids for them. In some cases, the police picked up relatives of the absconding TNSM leaders as a pressure tactic.
The offices of banned organizations have been sealed in Timergara, Chakdara, Samar Bagh, Lal Qila and Munda and their records taken into custody.
The police are removing the banners, sign-boards and graffiti pertaining to these organizations.
Law enforcement agencies arrested TNSM militant wing’s chief, Malik Mahmood Jan, on Wednesday.
Officials said the TNSM leader surrendered before the police and was sent to prison under 16 MPO. The police had besieged the residence of the TNSM leader for the last two days.
The officials said that large number of activists of TNSM and other militant organisations had been rounded up during the last three days in the Malakand division. Sources said that the police had arrested more than 100 activists of various militant organisations.
A delegation of Jamaat-i-Islami led by its district Amir Maulana Asadullah met the district coordination officer and district Nazim Dr Yaqub Khan and lodged protest over the arrests. He told them that not all the people arrested were militants and that they had been arrested without any charge against them.
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Khalifa Abdul Qayyum, senior vice-president of the banned Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan, was arrested at his house and shifted to Dera Jail.
Haji Noor Mohammad, SSP general secretary of Dera Ismail Khan, was also taken into custody but was released after he submitted of the deed of immunity and a resignation from the party.
Allama Tauqeer Ramzan, president of the banned Tehrik-i-Jaferia Pakistan, and Saifullah Bangash of the SSP have gone under ground. The police are conducting raids for their arrest.
Meanwhile, security provided to some leaders of the two groups have been retracted and official guards performing such duties asked to report to the district police lines.
BAJAUR: Eleven leaders of the banned TNSM were arrested on Wednesday and its offices sealed at different places. Official sources said that the detainees were shifted to a prison at Khar.
They said that hundreds of workers of the banned religious organizations had gone underground to escape the crackdown.
CHITRAL: The police has arrested four activists of the banned Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan in Chitral.
Those arrested are Javed Ahmed, Juma Khan, Ghiyasuddin and Hussain Ahmed. They have been taken into custody under 15, 16 MPO.
