KOHAT, July 7: Armed mobs continued to block intermittently the Indus Highway on Sunday, demanding immediate release of the arrested religious leaders and handing over of the bodies of the four Al Qaeda men who were killed in a police encounter on Wednesday last.

The local administration sent heavy contingents of riot police and armed personnel carriers to control the situation and persuade the people to end their protest and open the road for traffic. Till filing of this report, the situation remained tense as armed people had been offering five times prayers at the scene on the Indus Highway where the four Al Qaeda members were killed.

Earlier, when a large number of protestors blocked the road on Sunday morning, the administration sent a team of local elders for negotiations to persuade the protestors to hand over weapons and open the road but in vain. The police also resorted to lathi charge and fired tear gas in an attempt to disperse the angry mobs but failed to normalise the situation.

Meanwhile, local business community had formed three committees to deal with the situation after the arrest of some political and religious leaders. The three committees are headed by Ulema, representatives of the business community and legal experts.

Soon after the first meeting of these three committees, held at the Kotwali mosque at 10am on Sunday, the administration also arrested the younger brother of Javed Ibrahim Paracha.

A spokesman of the administration said both the brothers were also wanted in a number of corruption cases and had amassed huge wealth through unfair means during the government of the last prime minister.