PESHAWAR, July 22: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal postponed a meeting it had planned to hold on Friday to protest against the arrest of activists of banned militant and religious organisations in the country. The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam at a protest demonstration in front of the Peshawar Press Club on Thursday had announced that the MMA would hold a meeting on Friday against raids on madressahs and arrest of their students in the country.

However, the local leadership postponed the rally and instead relied on sermons delivered by prayer leaders affiliated with the JI and the JUI before Friday prayers.

“The weather was quite hot today....and it was also the last day to submit objections against candidates contesting local body elections. So on Thursday night we decided to postpone the rally,” said General Secretary of the MMA Peshawar district Ehsanul Haq.

He told Dawn that prayer leaders of more than 50 big and various small mosques were informed on Thursday night to raise the issue of ongoing operation against religious organizations and madressahs in their Friday sermons.

Meanwhile, the JUI and the JI staged small demonstrations outside Madani mosque and Mahabat Khan mosque. District leaders of the JUI Maulana Abdul Malik and Ehsanul Haq in their speeches criticized the federal government for arresting religious-minded people without any reason or rhyme.

JI leaders Haji Dost Mohammad and Maulana Hanifullah, while addressing the gathering in front of Mahabat Khan mosque flayed the government for raids on seminaries. The government wanted to appease foreign powers, the alleged.

AFGHANS HELD: The city police arrested nine Afghan nationals under Foreign Act from the Ittehad Colony and Faqirabad, sources said.

Those arrested included Noor Mohammad, Amin Mohammad, Hasan Khan, Khairullah, Abdul Wahid, Hashim, Ismail, Mohammad Ibrahim and Baraat Khan.