PESHAWAR, March 12: Hundreds of people demanding return of cleric Mufti Munir Shakir to Bara blocked the Ring Road at Landi Akhun Ahmed on Sunday.

Police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters and arrested 204 of them. Mufti Shakir disappeared after facing pressure from tribal elders and government to leave his area.

Hundreds of people of Pishtakhara and surrounding areas gathered on the Ring Road in the morning for a protest meeting. They were demanding that the government should allow the mufti to return to Bara.

Mufti Shakir is accused of fomenting sectarian hatred in Khyber Agency, while his rival leader Pir Saifur Rehman has left Bara under pressure from tribal leaders and the government to save the area from more bloodshed.

Police officials held talks with leaders of the protesters, including Haji Imdad Khan, Zahir Hussain and Mohammad Saeed, telling them not to disturb the law and order in Peshawar over an issue of tribal areas.

The leaders agreed to hold a press conference at the press club instead of blocking the road. Police brought them to the press club, where they issued a press release and announced that they would address a press conference on Monday. In the meantime, hundreds of supporters of the mufti carrying batons blocked the Bara road and Ring Road.

They were chanting slogans in favour of Mufti Shakir and demanding his return to Bara.

Police fired tear-gas shells and baton-charged the protesters to disperse them. Many protesters suffered minor injuries.

Police also arrested 204 protesters. Clashes between police and the protesters continued for over an hour, after which the road was opened.

Police arrested 74 people of settled areas, charging them under Sections 341, 386, 377 and 186 of the Pakistan Penal Code, and 130 of Khyber Agency, who will be tried under the Frontier Crimes Regulations. They have been sent to the Dera Ismail Khan prison.