OKARA: The arrest of the Anjuman Mozareen Punjab, Renala Estate, president Nadeem Ashraf, who was wanted by police in a number of cases, including those of murder, sparked protest by the AMP activists, who blocked various roads for traffic in the district for eight hours on Saturday.

The suspect, a proclaimed offender, was arrested on the Lahore High Court order issued some three years back in connection with a murder case.

According to District Police Officer retired Capt Faisal Rana, Nadeem Ashraf was wanted in more than a dozen cases registered at Renala Khurd city and Okara Cant police stations, including four murder cases and two registered under section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

In November 2011, Akram Masih was murdered and Nadeem Ashraf was nominated in the case (FIR No 384/11) registered under sections 302, 324, 427, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) with Renala city police station. Later he was declared a Proclaimed Offender (PO) when he was booked in an other murder case (FIR No 535/13) regstered with Okara city police station.

The complainant in Masih’s murder case, Nadeem Babar, had filed a writ petition in the LHC in the early days of 2012, demanding Ashraf’S arrest. The LHC ordered the police to arrest the suspect but they could not. As a result officers including Punjab chief secretary and inspector general of police and the DPOs had to appear in the court more than 20 times.

Okara police on Friday mid-night arrested Nadeem Ashraf from his village residence in Renala Estate area.

The arrest sparked protest by different chapters of the AMP Okara blocked traffic at four points in the district, including the GT road at railway level crossing near 3/4L village, Renala by pass, at Satgarah intersection at Okara-Faisalabad road and Depalpur-Okara-Pakpattan main intersection in the north of Deepalpur city.

According to sources the DPOs of Okara, Sahiwal and Kasur coordinated to regulate the traffic. This is the situation at the filing of the story.The traffic was finally restored after eight-hours road blockades following a dialogue between police and an AMP delegation at the Okara DPO office.

According to AMP media advisor Noor Nabi, the body’s leadership and city DSP Farooq kamyana and headquarters DSP Muhammad Tariq held a meeting with AMP secretary general Mehr Abdul Sattar. He said later the AMP delegation met with DPO Faisal Rana who assured them that all the cases registered and pending against the Nadeem Ashraf would be investigated on merit.