KOHAT: A curfew that was imposed in Kohat on November 18, following a clash near Imambargah Said Habib in the Zargaran bazaar area of Kohat district, was lifted in the early hours of Wednesday morning, DawnNews reported.

However, Section 144 will remain imposed in Kohat. According to the Kohat administration, pillion riding and rallies will remain banned until further notice.

Three people, including two policemen and a civilian, had been killed in the clash near the imambargah.

Moreover, several others were also injured in the clash.

An angry mob of a religious group had set a number of shops on fire in Tirah bazaar.

Police had said that activists of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, a religious group, were carrying out a protest against the recent violence in Rawalpindi when they clashed with a rival group near the imambargah which led to the trouble and the protesters set ablaze some shops.

Following the exchange of fire, protesters also set ablaze a number of shops in Tirah bazaar and tension mounted.

Later, the army was called in to take control of the cities of Kohat and Hangu while a curfew was imposed. All educational institutions had been closed for an indefinite period. The curfew in Hangu was however lifted after two hours.

Earlier on November 19, Commissioner Kohat Syed Jamaluddin had also convened a meeting of clerics and elders belonging to both sects to defuse tension.

Participants of the meeting from both sides had agreed to take action against those involved in the clashes, the administration said.

Furthermore, the meeting had also decided to constitute a 26-member committee for establishing law and order in the region.

The jirga is to be jointly headed by former chief justice of Peshawar High Court Ibne Ali and former MNA Javed Ibraheem Paracha.