RAWALPINDI (Staff Report) – Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) leader Aurganzeb Forooqui has been arrested in the garrison city of Rawalpindi today (Friday), local media reported.
According to police sources, Farooqui, a central leader of the ASWJ, was arrested from Taxila.
Sources add that Farooqui was arrested for violation of ban on his entry in Punjab.
In a statement, ASWJ lead Maulana Ahmad Ludhyanvi condemned the arrest of Aurangzeb Farooqui and called for his immediate release.
“It is a childish and irresponsible step of the Punjab government,” he said.
In the wake of his arrest, protests have erupted in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
ASWJ, a reincarnation of the banned Sunni militant group Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), had been banned in Feb 2012.
Despite the ban, ASWJ continues to operate in the country with religious conferences and demonstrations held in different cities from time to time and no apparent action from the authorities.
