JHANG, Oct 7: Maulana Azam Tariq, Millat-i-Islamia chief and a member of the National Assembly from Jhang, was laid to rest at the Jamia Mehmoodia here on Tuesday evening.

The funeral prayers of the slain leader were held at the Islamia High School ground at 4pm.

Led by Maulana Ali Sher Haidri, the prayers were attended by thousands of people belonging to all walks of life.

In their speeches on this occasion, MI leaders advised their workers to remain peaceful and demanded the government to arrest the perpetrators of this heinous crime as soon as possible or they would not be in a position to keep things in their control.

Earlier, the body of Maulana Tariq was brought to Jhang by a helicopter from Islamabad at about 10am. Thousands of people had gathered at the Mai Heer Stadium, where the helicopter landed, to receive the body. There were extraordinary security arrangements in and around the stadium.

Hundreds of people ran alongside the ambulance carrying the body. The procession was generally peaceful, but when it reached near Sessions Chowk, some people accompanying the procession started pelting stones at a filling station and shops around it, causing minor damage to them. Some people also resorted to aerial firing.

In the process, Kandiwal police station SHO Ahmad Ali was hit by a stone thrown by the processionists and was injured. There are also reports that some people burnt tyres and stoned the shop at some other chowks of the city to lodge their protest, causing minor damage.

In another incident, some provoked people entered the Imambargah, Shia Maulvi, adjacent to Tehsil Office and Kotwali PS and tried to set it to fire. They also injured five people — Ghulam Abbas, Abbas Ali, Muhammad Ali Shah, Israrul Hassan and Ghulam Sakina — present inside the Imambargah. The fire was not allowed to spread and the injured were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Jhang, where they were stated

to be out of danger.

Meanwhile, the bodies of three bodyguards and the driver of Maulana were sent to their native towns for burial.

There are no reports of any loss of life or serious damage to property from any part of the district.

Security in all sensitive areas of the district, particularly within the municipal limits of Jhang Sadar, has considerably been beefed up, with contingents of police and rangers.

Punjab and Frontier Constabulary, assisted by army personnel, were patrolling and guarding all sensitive places, particularly, Imambargahs and mosques belonging to the Shias. The district government has, under Section 144, banned pillion-riding in the city and announced closure of all offices, banks and edu-cational institutions for two days.

The district police officer has appealed to Ulema of all sects to observe calm to ensure peace in the district.

There was a complete strike throughout the district on the appeal of Anjuman Tajran and Millat-i-Islamia.