Daily Times

KARACHI: Police on Sunday arrested Sunni Tehreek (Saleem Qadri Group) chief Bilal Saleem Qadri from Baldia Town.

The ST leader was taken into custody as the provincial home department had imposed the Section 144 banning all kinds of rallies and processions, particularly on MA Jinnah Road and Tibet Centre in district South of Karachi for at least 15 days.

Bilal Saleem Qadri was taken into custody during a raid in Madina Colony area of Baldia Town.

The arrest came hours before the Jamaat-e-Ahle Sunnat was preparing to hold a rally against the deadly bombing at the shrine of Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan on Thursday that claimed about 88 lives and wounded over 200 others.

The rally was scheduled from Aram Bagh to the CM House.

The ST strongly condemned the arrest and demanded immediate release of its leader.

The ST rally that started from Aram Bagh could not reach the CM House as the participants of the rally were stopped by extra contingent of police at the Sindh Secretariat Chowk.

“We are here. Negotiations with the authorities are underway. Let’s see what happened,” said the Jamaat-w-Ahle Sunnat spokesperson Salman Qadri.

“The police put Bilal Sahib under house arrest. He is likely to be released soon.” He said that they demanded of the government to extend the military courts and spread the Rangers operation across the Sindh, reopening the closed shrines with enhanced security.

On the other hand, police confirmed the arrest. “Bilal Saleem Qadri has been arrested as a ban is already imposed on carrying out rallies and processions following the recent deadly bombing at Lahore during a protest,” said Baldia Division SP Asif Razzak.