PESHAWAR:
Volunteers of Ansar-ul-Islam have assumed security control of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) provincial secretariat on Ring Road after reports emerged that the complex and its additional constructions face demolition under the ongoing anti-encroachment operation. JUI leaders have also begun staying at the Mufti Mahmood Markaz in response to the threat.
Following the imposition of Governor’s Rule, authorities launched a drive against illegal constructions across Peshawar. Several structures along Ring Road have already been razed. Reports indicate that the front portion of the Mufti Mahmood Markaz itself has come under the encroachment net.
On Sunday, the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) and district administration marked buildings in the vicinity of the JUI-F secretariat. Notably, no markings were placed on the Markaz itself. Speculation had mounted that the encroached sections would be demolished, prompting the party’s provincial leadership to hand over security responsibilities to Ansar-ul-Islam volunteers.
The volunteers have since surrounded the Markaz, effectively placing it under their protection, while senior JUI-F figures remain present inside the secretariat. The development underscores growing tensions between the religious party and the administration amid the wider crackdown on illegal constructions in the provincial capital.
