GILGIT, Nov 23: Religious leaders of the Shia community and members of the Northern Areas Legislative Council (NALC) staged a sit-in at the Rest House Chowk here to condemn the arrest of Allama Sajid Naqvi, chief of the outlawed Islami Tehrik Pakistan, last week.

The leaders termed the arrest a conspiracy to weaken and demoralize the political strength of Shia community.

They accused that the investigation agencies were reportedly asking questions from him regarding his religious faith and not about the alleged charges for which he had been arrested.

The leaders also observed that certain elements were deliberately giving a sectarian colour to the murder of Maulana Azam Tariq to inflame more sectarian clashes throughout the country.

They also warned that they would continue their countrywide agitation if their leader was not released forthwith. The religious leaders said that as a first step they had only started token strikes and would resort to any extreme step for the release of their leader.

They accused the US of pressuring Pakistan for imposing a ban on their renamed party (ITP) to suppress the voice of Shia community.

The religious leaders presented a memorandum to the Gilgit deputy commissioner regarding their resentment and concern over the detained leader.