RAWALPINDI: Activists and leaders of the Sunni Tehreek (ST) – including those residing abroad who came to Pakistan to participate in the protest against the execution of Mumtaz Qadri – were among hundreds of religious workers booked by the police under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

However, ST’s central leadership is, so far, not among the 528 religious workers arrested by Rawalpindi police under the ATA, Protection of Pakistan Ordinance and other laws.

Those arrested have been sent to various prisons in Adiala, Attock, Jhelum and Gujrat.

Those nominated in FIRs include the head of the international organisation Ahle Sunnat Pir Afzal Qadri, ST’s Sahibzada Sarwat Ijaz Qadri, Azad Kashmir former minister Hafiz Hamid Sialkoti, Jamaat Ahle Sunnat Norway central leader Naimatullah Shah and Maulana Maqsood Qadri from the United States.

During their march on Sunday, protesters seemed more than willing to destroy anything that blocked their way to Parliament House. The protesters were formally booked by the police, and four separate FIRs were registered against religious workers and their leaders.

In one FIR, a police official said: “We tried to calm them down, but they attacked us with arms, batons and sticks, to kill us.”

In their reports police officials said a number of the protesters terrorised and threatened public life, and appeared to have been prepared to hurt and kill police officials during the protest. The protesters threatened public life and property during their march.

“Yielding batons and sticks, they attacked shopping centres, forcing shopkeepers to pull down their shutters and the customers to take refuge inside,” an FIR said.

Since they were arrested, the protesters were kept in 10 different police stations in Rawalpindi, and were sent to various jails after the registration of cases against them amid tight security.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2016