TAXILA: The central president of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) Aurangzeb Farooqi arrested in Taxila on Friday.

According to the details, Farooqi was arrested while he was travelling with his family on a personal trip.

He had attended a rally in Murree a day earlier, following which a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against him at a Rawalpindi police station. In the wake of his arrest, protests have erupted in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Earlier in Feb, Farooqi had been targeted by unknown gunmen near Quaidabad bridge area in Karachi.

The ASWJ leader had escaped unhurt in the attack but three of his bodyguards had sustained injuries.

ASWJ, a reincarnation of the banned Sunni militant group Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), had been banned in Feb 2012.

Despite the ban, ASWJ continues to operate in the country with religious conferences and demonstrations held in different cities from time to time and no apparent action from the authorities. =DNA