RAWALPINDI: Police have moved 134 people, arrested during sporadic clashes between law enforcement agencies and sit-in protesters, to Adiala jail.

According to sources, none of the suspects taken to Adiala jail are prominent religious leaders. Out of all the cases registered with the police against the protesters, three have been registered on charges that include section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The protest is being led by the Tehreek Labaik Ya Rasool Allah and Sunni Tehreek parties, and has continued for 12 days.

A senior Rawalpindi police official said the police have already been placed on alert in the city, as personnel have been deployed at Faizabad, Koral and on I.J. Principal Road to prevent the protesters from entering the city.

“We are taking all possible measures to maintain peace in [Rawalpindi],” a senior police official said, adding that additional police personnel have been deployed around the residence of former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in Faizabad, which is a few hundred metres from the site of the sit-in.

Additional personnel have already been called from other districts to assist local police in case force is used to clear the Faizabad Interchange.

Although the deadline issued by the Islamabad High Court to clear the interchange has passed, the government has been trying to resolve the matter through talks with the religious leaders.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2017