Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Ghuman, a central leader of the outlawed Jaish-e-Muhammad, was arrested on Friday from a village mosque, police said on Saturday. Ilyas, 50, was arrested near Sargodha when he was offering Friday prayers in the mosque. He has been detained for three months under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO). Jaish-e-Mohammed was one of five groups outlawed by President General Pervez Musharraf in January 2002. Ilyas is now a member of the Khuddam-ul-Muslimeen.
| Which is the same organization with a different name... |
The Ahle-Sunnat-wal-Jamaat has threatened to launch protests across the province unless Ilyas was released within 24 hours. A spokesman for the organisation said Ilyas was also taken into custody two months ago, but was released later. |