LAHORE, Oct 31: Law-enforcement agencies have picked up around two dozen people on suspicion of their involvement in sectarian militancy in a drive started last week in the province, especially southern Punjab, it was learnt on Sunday.

Multan, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Layyah, Bhakkar, Faisalabad and Jhang have been included in the districts. The drive has been launched in view of three terrorist activities in Sialkot, Multan and Lahore.

Besides police and intelligence agencies, Crimes Investigation Department (CID) is also taking part in the campaign. Neither any arrest has been registered nor are families being allowed meeting with them.

Three suspects, including an office-bearer of the outlawed Sipah-e-Mohammad, have been detained in raids in various localities of Faisalabad.

Punjab police sources said that the raids in Faisalabad were carried out to arrest Amjad Shah, a resident of Bhakkar. However, he had left the place when the police raided. A heavy police contingent also raided his Bhakkar house and arrested five members of his family, including his father and father-in-law.

His father-in-law and one cousin have been set free after questioning, but the others will remain in the custody of the law enforcers without any lawful justification for well over a week, they said.

As many as 10 people have been detained in Multan and Bahawalpur. The police in these districts have been asked by the law enforcement agencies to pay more attention to underground activities of sectarian suspects.

Meanwhile, the Punjab police have been directed to make efforts to arrest all sectarian proclaimed offenders and court absconders.

In an official order issued by the Punjab IGP office to all DIGs, instructions have been given as part of the preventive measures in view of the recent terrorist acts.

"Efforts be made to arrest all sectarian POs and CAs by adopting proactive policy," states a part of the order. The order says that all imambargahs, mosques, madaressahs and other places of worship be properly secured from any act of terrorism.

"The most vulnerable places of worship having history of terrorist attacks or where there is some simmering of sectarian issue must be given priority."

It says that the patrolling both on foot and mobile be so planned that these patrols must spend some time at intervals around the worship places besides the permanent security deployed there.

Similarly, the order states police pickets should also be set up in a manner to cater for the security of the religious places. Private guards on these places be properly briefed on their positioning which should be strategically planned, it says and adds: "These guards should remain on a high alert during prayers."

Supervisory officers in all cities of the province must pay surprise visits to ensure that instructions are properly implemented, the order reads and warns that severe disciplinary action would be taken against delinquent officers in case of any slackness.

Meanwhile, all police heads in the Punjab cities have also been asked to update the lists of all sectarian militants, activists, leaders or religious organisations and other irritants in their jurisdiction. They have been directed to sent the lists at the earliest to the Punjab police secretariat for their submission to the home department for further action.