KARACHI: The central president of the banned Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) Aurangzeb Farooqi was arrested near Taxila on Friday, the party's secretary general told Dawn.

ASWJ Secretary General Allama Taj Mohammad Hanafi told Dawn that Farooqi was arrested while he was travelling with his family on a personal trip.

He added that the party's central president had attended a rally in Murree a day earlier, following which a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against him at a Rawalpindi police station.

Hafiz Oneeb Farooqi, the media coordinator for the ASWJ Islamabad chapter, told Dawn.com that Farooqi was arrested by Punjab police, however the details of his arrest were not known.

He said Farooqi had arrived two days earlier in Islamabad from Karachi.

In the wake of his arrest, protests have erupted in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Earlier in Feb, Farooqi had been targeted by unknown gunmen near Quaidabad bridge area in Karachi.

The ASWJ leader had escaped unhurt in the attack but three of his bodyguards had sustained injuries.

Take a look: ASWJ local leader killed in Rawalpindi, central leader attacked in Karachi

ASWJ, a reincarnation of the banned Sunni militant group Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), had been banned in Feb 2012.

Despite the ban, ASWJ continues to operate in the country with religious conferences and demonstrations held in different cities from time to time and no apparent action from the authorities.