Dozens of religious activists rounded up ahead of rally

Dozens of activists affiliated with religious parties and groups have been rounded up by police throughout the province ahead of the scheduled protest demonstrations today against the ongoing operation and raids on madrassas in tribal as well as settled districts of NWFP.

Police raided houses and offices in different parts of the province Wednesday night and yesterday to arrest activists of Jamaat-i-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, defunct groups like Maulana Sufi Muhammed Tanzeem Nifaz Shariat-I-Muhammedi, Sipah-i-Sahaba and Tahrik-i-Jafria Pakistan.

The arrests, police officials confirmed, have been made in Peshawar, Bannu, D.I. Khan, Hangu, Dir and Mansehra while raids are being conducted to nab the hardcore activists of these religious groups in order to stop them from holding anti-U.S. demonstrations.

The call to hold protest rallies was given by JUI-F, which was later joined by Jamaat-i-Islami and other groups to joint raids by U.S. and Pakistani forces on religious schools in North Waziristan Agency and the arrest of two religious figures in Bannu by personnel of Pakistani secret agencies.

Mufti Iltimas, head of the religious school in Bannu, where American Talib, Sulyman Faras (John Walker Lindh) studied for few months before heading for Afghanistan to join Taliban forces, was arrested along with another religious figure, Maulana Khizar Hayat for investigations.

Raids have been started on houses in Peshawar since Wednesday night and so far a dozen of activists belonging to different groups have been arrested and more arrests are expected tonight, police officials said.

If not stopped by force, the protest demonstrations are likely to held after he Friday prayers, JUI-F and Jamaat's sources said.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who was in Peshawar on Wednesday, is scheduled to lead a protest rally in Mardan, while provincial leaders of Jamaat-i-Islami will lead processions in Peshawar, the party sources said.

Police officers in D.I. Khan said that 26 arrests have been made, in the sectarian proven city, as a pre-cautionary measure to prevent violence in wake of the gory incident, which killed 15 persons, 11 French and four Pakistani nationals.

The arrested activists, police said, belonged to the defunct SSP and TFJ. Sectarian violence took numerous lives from both sides in D.I. Khan during he last several years. Six activists from SSP have been arrested from Madrasas and houses in Mansehra district, police said.

As many as 25 workers of TNSM have been arrested in Dir including oordination secretary of the banned organisation, Mohammed Nageen, district amir, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor and others, police officials confirmed.

Reports reaching here from Upper Dir also suggest that dozens of activists of TNSM have been arrested in raids on madrassas and houses in Maidan area of the district. Situation in North Waziristan, locals informed, is also tense and the tribals seems annoyed by the raids on religious institutions in search of Al Qaida and Taliban fighters and presence of U.S. troops in the tribal areas.

President Gen Pervez Musharraf has admitted presence of personnel from the U.S. communication services in the tribal area, while officials from the tribal administration deny presence of U.S. troops in the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, explosion outside the offices of the political agent, South Waziristan agency, has prompted the authorities to upgrade security in the town.

The boundary wall of the office of the political agent was partially damaged in the bomb explosion on Monday night. This was the second bomb blast outside the same office within three days.

The earlier explosion also did not cause much damage to the building or the wall. There were no injuries either due to the explosions.

The site of the blasts is near a police post and an FC militia facility.

The authorities have sealed the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan at Angoor Adda in South Waziristan tribal agency. The action has been taken to prevent the infiltration of al-Qaeda and Taliban members from Afghanistan.

Militiamen have been deployed on the long border and the 'khassadar' force in the towns of South Waziristan and on the roads has also been alerted to nab any suspicious person.