NOWSHERA, Oct 14: The district administration here arrested four leaders of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) in connection with the demonstrations held on Friday, following which processions were taken out by the incensed party workers.

The workers managed to get the district amir, Maulana Muhammad Mujahid Deobandi, released while the remaining three persons were booked by the district Nazim of Nowshera under section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance.

The local police arrested the four — Maulana Mujahid, Fazal Akber Shah, Haji Yousaf Khan Jalozai and Maulana Johar Ali — late on Friday night on charges of delivering fiery speeches during the protest demonstration against the US and Pakistani government.

When the party workers came to know of their leaders’ detention on Saturday morning, they took out procession and a large number of them gathered at Nowshera cant police station where the arrested leaders had been lodged.

The activists gave an ultimatum of 24 hours to the police. Later on, Maulana Mujahid was released. However, he accepted conditional release from the lock-up, saying that if his other three colleagues were not released he would court arrest after 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the district coordination officer, Nowshera, Ms Waqarun Zaib has said that the JUI leaders had not taken the administration into confidence before holding the demonstration.