ISLAMABAD, Dec 6: Soon after the killing of Ahle Sunnat wal Jamaat (ASWJ) Punjab president Maulana Shamsur Rehman Muavia in Lahore on Friday, activists of the religious party along with a large number of seminary students took to the streets and forcibly closed a busy commercial centre of the federal capital.

Carrying batons, the protesters gathered at Aabpara Chowk and started chanting slogans against the government and their rival sect.

Later, they started pelting vehicles with stones and forced the traders of the Aabpara market to close their businesses. They also blocked the Kashmir Highway and Khayaban-i-Suhrawardy for hours.

One of the drivers of the vehicles exchanged harsh words with the protesters after his 2013 Honda Civic was damaged by the baton-wielding protesters.

However, he was rescued by the police and the capital administration officials from being attacked by the protesters.

Later, the police and the administration officials held negotiations with the leaders of the protesters and persuaded them to disperse. However, before leaving the spot the protesters offered Maghrib prayers at the chowk followed by speeches by their leaders.

The speakers demanded the arrest of the culprits behind the killing of the ASWJ leader.

They said the government’s failure to nab those behind the Ashura tragedy in Rawalpindi had led to the killing of the ASWJ Punjab chapter president.

They also blamed their rival sect for the killing and asked the government to arrest the culprits within 24 hours. Later, the protesters dispersed from the spot.

Hafiz Oneeb Farooqi, the media coordinator for the ASWJ Islamabad chapter, told Dawn that they had also decided to stage a protest sit-in for an indefinite period at Faizabad against the killing of their leader from Saturday.

When contacted, an official of the capital administration said talks were underway with the local leaders of the ASWJ over their plan to stage the sit-in.

ATTOCK: The ASWJ also held a protest demonstration in Attock against the killing of its leader in Lahore.

Hundreds of activists of the ASWJ and other religious parties and groupings took out a protest rally to condemn the incident.

The rally started from Jamia Ishatul Islam which reached Fowara Chowk after passing through Burq Road and the main bazaar of the city.

The participants were chanting slogans against the target killing and demanding immediate arrest of the killers.

Addressing the protesters, the ASWJ leaders condemned the killing of Maulana Muavia and announced their decision to observe three days of mourning.

They also asked the government to take measures for the protection of ASWJ leaders.