PESHAWAR, Dec 9: The government banned a stage show and a funfair in the city on Sunday on the charges of vulgarity and gambling and arrested 16 persons here on Sunday.

Sources told Dawn that a three-day stage show was organized at a marriage hall in tehsil Gorgathri where a famous Pashto film star was performing along with a team of female dancers.

The government after receiving complaints about the alleged obscene dances performed by the film actress and her team, put an immediate ban on the show on Sunday.

The sources said that the C-Division police also arrested the show producer, Awal Khan, marriage hall manager and two other organizers.

The government also imposed a ban on a funfair being held at Jinnah Park on the charges of presenting obscene dances and gambling on Sunday.

Police arrested contractor of the funfair, Tariq Javed Gondal, a resident of Lahore; manager Amjad Ali and six members of the funfair organizing committee. Six eunuchs were also held on the charge of performing obscene dances.

The sources told Dawn that this year the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government had not allowed funfairs and shows in Nishtar Hall, which was under the control of NWFP chief minister, as every year special programmes were arranged on the occasion of Eid to entertain the local people. The organizers of these two shows had got special permission from the Town-I government.