KOHAT, Nov 19: The authorities in the tribal area have arrested the chief of Tehrik-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Mohammadi of Malakand Agency, Sufi Mohammad along with his 67 followers who were making attempts to cross into Pakistan for the last four days from the border in the lower Kurram Agency, it has been officially learnt.

The border security forces first disarmed Mr Sufi Mohammad and his followers who were carrying huge quantity of heavy weapons and ammunition.

The authorities recovered 42 klashnikovs, three rocket launchers, 39 hand grenades, a number of pashpashas and other lethal arms besides thousands of rockets and bullets from their possession, assistant political agent of lower Kurram Agency, Wakil Khan told Dawn by telephone on Monday.

The TNSM chief, who crossed into Afghanistan from Malakand Agency last week, fled Kabul four days back and camped near the Kurram Agency border, requesting the government to allow him to go to his native village in the Malakand Agency.

He said that as the areas near his native village had been captured by the forces of the Northern Alliance, he could not go to his home. Therefore he should be allowed to cross from Kurram and that too with his heavy weapons worth millions of dollars.

After his repeated requests, the interior ministry asked the authorities in the Kurram Agency to arrest him and his 67 followers under the 40 frontier crimes regulations and the orders were duly implemented.

The sources said that the TNSM chief was arrested from inside Afghanistan with his 67 followers and lodged in the lockup. The authorities there were awaiting fresh instructions from the interior ministry for initiating inquiry against him for violating the country’s laws and crossing into Afghanistan to take part in the fighting between the Taliban and forces of Northern Alliance.