SKARDU, June 27: Scores of people staged a sit-in outside the city police station here demanding the release of residents arrested for beating Deputy Commissioner Raja Fazle Khaliq over the construction of a mosque three days back. The sit-in was arranged by the awami action committee and majlis wahdatul Muslimeen. Speaking on the occasion, the representatives of the protesters said that the local administration and police were trying to spoil the peace of the area by provoking the residents. They alleged that the government officials were trying to occupy private land in order to make way for the house of a police officer. They said that the land on which the mosque was being built belonged to the people and the DC had tried to hurt the sentiment of the people by asking them to stop the construction work on the worship place. They demanded that the arrested people should be released without any delay otherwise the local administration would be responsible if there was any law and order situation. Those who spoke on the occasion included majlis wahdatul Muslimeen general secretary Syed Ali Rizvi, Sheikh Zahid Hussain, nationalist leader Ghulam Shahzad Agha, Sheikh Noori and Sheikh Ahmed Zahidi.]]>
