PESHAWAR, Feb 3: The special investigation group of FIA has arrested a leader of a banned militant organization from Charsadda in connection with the assassination of Shia religious leader of Gilgit, Agha Ziauddin, sources told Dawn here on Thursday.

A team of SIG came from Gilgit to investigate the case of sectarian violence in Gigit and the assassination of Agha Ziauddin, apprehended Qari Anwar Khan, provincial leader of the banned militant outfit Sipah-i-Sahaba, from Charsadda on Wednesday night, the sources said.

According to sources, Qari Anwar Khan is also a teacher of Government High School No 1 in Charsadda. The SIG shifted the accused to some unknown location for interrogation.

The SIG team came here from Gilgit 10 days ago and identified a suicide bomber as Mukhtiar Ahmad, a resident of Zareef Koroona in Michni area near Mohmand Agency. He was a member of the banned militant organization Lashkar-i-Jhangvi.

Agha Ziauddin was critically injured in a suicide bomb attack in Gilgit on Jan 8 and after five days he died in the Combined Military Hospital in Rawalpindi. But the suicide bombing led to the sectarian violence which claimed 17 lives in Gilgit.

A man was killed in Skardu by the law-enforcement agency when he violated the curfew. The law-enforcement agencies have so far arrested 70 persons in Gilgit and Skardu for interrogations.