GILGIT, Dec 31: Police on Friday arrested a religious leader who was addressing a gathering of his followers in Jalalabad, some 30 kilometres east of Gilgit.

Police sources said Shaikh Ghulam Mohiyuddin was detained on the charge of disturbing the peace. His arrest took place in the presence of hundreds of his followers.

The sources said police had earlier detained another religious leader Shaikh Nasir Hussain Zamani on the same charge. Independent sources said that both the religious leaders had appealed for calm when their followers protested against the police action.

Meanwhile, the Imamia Council of Gilgit said the police action against the two religious leaders was an attempt to sabotage the peace parleys in Gilgit. However, official sources said religious leaders had been warned about holding sectarian gatherings in the greater interest of sectarian harmony in the area.