DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl activists staged a protest demonstration in front of the Dera Press Club on Sunday against the arrest by NAB of the party’s Paharpur tehsil chief, Musa Khan Baloch, who is also a former divisional forest officer, on corruption charges. The protest was led by JUI-F district senior vice-president Maulana Obaidur Rehman.

The workers carried JUI-F flags and chanted against the government.

Addressing the protesters, Obaidur Rehman said arrest of the JUI-F activist was made on political grounds, and not for any corrupt practices, to put pressure on party chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to shun his anti-government moves.

They said the arrest and registration of cases against over 150 JUI-F workers after the party staged a protest in Paharpur the other day for the release of Musa Baloch was also condemnable.

The party leaders said they were not afraid of arrests and prisons. They said past attempts to implicate Maulana Fazlur Rehman in corruption cases had failed.

JUI-F Dera general secretary Chaudhry Ashfaq Advocate said Musa Baloch should be released immediately and cases against the party workers should be withdrawn.

A large contingent of police was also present on the occasion to thwart any unpleasant incident.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2020