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JUI-S says its arrested members have no contact with Qaeda

By Amir Rana

LAHORE: The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S) claimed on Tuesday that its arrested members from Faisalabad had no link with Al Qaeda.

Talking to Daily Times from Akora Khattak, JUI-S spokesman Maulana Muhammad Yousaf Shah said the Mubarak Mosque committee chairman had conspired against the JUI-S members because one of them had refused to support him in embezzling the mosque’s funds.

Punjab Elite Force and Faisalabad police arrested Qari Obaidullah Gurmani, Qari Noor Muhammad and Qari Imam Din from Mubarak Mosque near Gao Shala Mor in Faisalabad on Monday, suspecting them of having links with Al Qaeda.

Mr Yousaf said that Qari Noor Muhammad was the imam of Mubarik Mosque and had a dispute with the mosque committee chairman over the embezzlement of Rs 2 million in mosque funds. “Qari demanded the committee chairman spend the money on the mosque’s construction but the chairman refused. He offered Qari 50 percent of the amount for not raising the issue but Qari refused,” said Mr Yousaf. He said that the committee chairman then lodged a false report against Qari Noor Muhammad claiming that he had links with Al Qaeda.

The JUI spokesman said that Qari Obaidullah was a visitor and the police also arrested him. JUI-S member Muhammad Yousaf Razi said the arrested men had no links with any jihadi organisation.

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