MANSEHRA: A local court on Wednesday sent Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl leader Mufti Kifayatullah to the jail on 14 days remand for allegedly instigating the people against the state.

Mr Kifayatullah was arrested late on Tuesday as he was on the way to home in Tarangri area after leading the funeral prayer of the party’s district naib emir, Maulana Shah Abdul Aziz, who had died of Covid-19.

The police produced him before judicial magistrate Kamala Fareed amid tight security.

The magistrate turned down the police’s request for granting them three-day physical remand of Mr Kifayatullah and ordered his shifting to the jail on 14-day remand.

District police officer Sadiq Baloch told reporters that the JUI-F leader was held for challenging the writ of the government and delivering an anti-state and hate speech during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Mr Kifayatullah told supporters outside the courtroom that the charges against him were concocted.

He said he had done nothing wrong and had just sought the respectful burial of those killed by Covid-19,” he said.

Meanwhile, a demonstration was held in Khawajgan area with participants demanding the immediate release of Mr Kifayatullah.

TAXIS SEIZED: The traffic police have impounded a large number of taxies and other passenger vehicles in the district over the violation of the Covid-19 restrictions.

“We have been adopting multi-pronged strategy to deal with the Covid-19 emergency. We are not only impounding passenger vehicles but we have also launched a pandemic awareness campaign through a mobile unit,” head of the traffic police Jamalzeb Khan told reporters here on Wednesday.

He said the traffic police’s mobile unit targeted areas, where the confirmed Covid-19 cases were reported, and asked the residents to stay indoors to prevent the virus.

“Our mobile unit has taken part in a special drive in Dodial, Gari Wall and adjoining areas, which have frequently recorded Covid-19 cases,” he said.

Mr Jamalzeb sought the help of transporters for maintaining the writ of the government during the lockdown.

“Whatever the traffic police are doing is to keep the people from harm’s way,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2020