ISLAMABAD, July 4 (Xinhua) -- A total of 1,200 male
and female religious students of hard-line Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, have so
far surrendered to Pakistani authorities in the capital city, an interior
ministry spokesman said Wednesday.
Pakistani Interior Ministry Spokesman Javed Iqbal
Cheema also said Imam of Lal Masjid Maulana Abdul Aziz would face terrorism and
murder charges.
Radical Muslim students sit after their
surrender near Lal Masjid or Red Mosque in Islamabad July 4, 2007. More
than 500 radical Muslim students surrendered at the besieged mosque in the
Pakistani capital on Wednesday but thousands of militants remained inside
a day after 11 people were killed in clashes. (Xinhua/Reuters
Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
The official said the Lal Masjid issue would be ended
soon.
Maulana Abdul Aziz were arrested earlier by the
security personnel deployed outside the mosque while attempting to escape in the
guise of a female student wearing Burqa veil, according to officials.
Pakistani government has said time for negotiation
with management of Lal Masjid was over, and the writ of state will be maintained
at all cost.
Armed forces besieged the mosque after the government
announced operation against the Lal Masjid early on Wednesday.
Authorities called for surrender of religious
personnel in the mosque, and asked for handover of personnel involved in
snatching arms from and opening firing on security personnel at noon July 3.
Firing broke out between Lal Masjid personnel and law
enforcers Tuesday noon after a group of 100 religious students of the mosque
encircled some policemen deployed nearby and snatched arms from them, according
to officials.
Pakistan's deputy information minister earlier
Wednesday said so far at least 10 people killed and some 94 injured in the
incident.
ISLAMABAD, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The deputy leader of
hard-line Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, Maulana Abdur Rashid Ghazi, has agreed to
lay down arms and surrender, the private Geo TV reported Thursday. Full story
ISLAMABAD, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Imam of hard-line Lal
Masjid, Maulana Abdul Aziz, was arrested while trying to escape from the mosque
in Pakistani capital on Wednesday evening, officials confirmed.
Chief commissioner of Islamabad has confirmed that
Maulana Abdul Aziz, administrator of Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque was caught.Full story
ISLAMABAD, July 4 (Xinhua) -- At least four people
were killed and a senior police officer was injured in a rocket attack on his
car in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) on Wednesday, the private
NNI news agency reported.
Unidentified men fired the rocket at the vehicle of
District Police Officer Dr Mazhar ul Haq Kakakhel in Mingora, a city some 165 km
northwest of Peshawar, the provincial capital of NWFP, at 6:15 p.m. local time,
according to the News Network International.Full story
ISLAMABAD, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Heavy firing exchange
between hard-line Lal Masjid personnel and law enforcers in Pakistani capital
Islamabad started Wednesday, TV channels reported.
Armored vehicles of armed forces were advancing
forward and started gas shelling, and firing from the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque,
also began. Full story
ISLAMABAD, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The Pakistani
government Wednesday again asked students and leaders at a mosque in the capital
to surrender to amicably resolve the standoff in the mosque.
"We are not giving an exact time for the surrender
but we want immediate solution. If the mosque and seminary were not vacated,
then action would be taken," Minister of State for Information Tariq Azeem said.
Full story
ISLAMABAD, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The clash between
Pakistani religious students of Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, and the law enforcers
on Tuesday afternoon left a total of 9 people dead and many others injured in
Islamabad, the interior ministry said.
The killed comprised one soldier, four religious
students, three passers-by and one cameraman, said Zafar Iqbal Wariach, State
Minister of Interior, while addressing a news briefing here. Full story
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