LAHORE - Hundreds of suspected extremists have been arrested across Punjab, where a major police crackdown is underway against the elements involved in printing or distribution of hatred-material and misusing the loudspeaker.
“During the last 24 hours, more than 450 persons have been arrested for violating the ban on loudspeaker, making provocative speeches, and those found involved in printing or selling of hatred material,” a police spokesperson said on Friday. The police also confiscated a large number of books, pamphlets, banners, newspapers, memory-cards, DVDs, CDs, USBs, booklets, and computers from different parts of the province since the clampdown on the extremists was launched.
A senior police officer confirmed to this reporter on Friday that at least 60 shops were sealed and more than 2000 CDs were seized by the police during the crackdown.
Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera warned that the miscreants involved in inciting hatred must be dealt with iron hands.  According to an official handout issued from the Punjab Central Police Office (CPO), at least 593 cases were registered for misusing of loudspeaker and 297 people were arrested from all over the province during the last 24 hours. Similarly the police arrested 130 persons on the charges of making provocative speeches after registering 16 cases against them. Also, the police booked 25 persons on the charges of wall chalking.  In Lahore, the police registered 58 cases and arrested 29 suspects on the charges of making provocative speeches, wall chalking, and misuse of loudspeaker.  Lahore DIG (Operations) Dr Haider Ashraf said that the police are implementing the national action plan with full force and no one would be allowed to spread sectarianism in the society. A day earlier, the police in Lahore launched the clampdown on the extremists to implement the recently-approved National Action Plan.
CCPO Muhammad Amin Wains approved the strategy regarding the implementation of national security plan.  As a part of the National Action Plan, the government has been working to stop printing and publication of hate material promoting sectarianism.
 The National Action Plan was drafted in the wake of the Peshawar school attack to chalk out a comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism.
Earlier, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif constituted a special committee for the implementation of the National Action Plan for counter-terrorism.