TAXILA: Aurangzeb Farooqui of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) was arrested by the counter-terrorism department from Taxila on Friday.

According to SHO Taxila Mohammad Arif, Mr Farooqui has been shifted to Rawalpindi.

Police sources added that the ASWJ president was arrested for violating a ban on entry into Punjab. They said Farooqui had attended a rally in Murree a day earlier following which a case was registered against him by Rawalpindi police.

ASWJ Secretary General Allama Taj Mohammad Hanafi told mediapersons that Farooqui was arrested during a personal visit to the area along with his family.

He said the ASWJ leader had arrived in Islamabad from Karachi two days ago.

It may be noted that Mufti Tanveer Alam Farooqui, a former president of the proscribed ASWJ’s Rawalpindi chapter, was also arrested from Taxila on May 12.

Meanwhile, activists of ASWJ protested the arrest of its central president Aurganzeb Farooqui by the counter-terrorism department.

The activists blocked traffic at Taxila Chowk and chanted slogans against the police as well as the provincial government, demanding his immediate release. Heavy contingents of police, including anti-riot personnel, were called from Rawalpindi to tackle any untoward incident soon after the arrest of the ASWJ leader in Taxila on Friday morning. — Correspondent

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2015

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