Jhelum police said early on Tuesday that they have detained cleric Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza for 30 days under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance.
Section 3 of the MPO ordinance gives authorities the power to arrest and detain suspected persons to prevent “any person from acting in any manner prejudicial to public safety” or to maintain public order.
Jhelum District Police Officer (DPO) Ahmed Mohiyuddin confirmed Mirza’s arrest under MPO to Dawn.com in the early hours of Tuesday.
The Express Tribune, citing sources, said the arrest followed an application filed by “religious parties”. Delegations of various scholars had met the district administration yesterday, urging action against the cleric, the report added.
Mirza, a resident of Machine Mohallah of Jhelum city, frequently uploads his lectures and speeches on his social media pages and has amassed 3.1 million followers on his YouTube channel.
Mirza was also among 17 clerics whose speeches were banned by the Jhelum deputy commissioner during Muharram last year to prevent any potential sectarian violence.
The popular cleric survived an assassination attempt at a religious academy in March 2021. The suspect was taken into custody, and a case of attempted murder was registered against him.
The cleric had also been booked and arrested by the Jhelum police in May 2020 for derogatory remarks against some religious figures. However, he was later released on bail.