ISLAMABAD, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao Thursday said women were forcibly held inside the hard-line Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, by armed students of the mosque.

    Addressing a news conference here, Sherpao said some 50 to 60 hardcore armed students were still inside the mosque and seminary complex and they have hand grenades, patrol bombs and automatic guns.

    "They have forcibly held the women inside the complex and are not allowing them to come out and to surrender to the authorities," the interior minister said.

    A total of 1,146 students have come out and surrendered before the law enforcing agencies until 2 p.m.(0900GMT), which include 745 male and 401 female, according to officials.

    Sherpao ruled out any talks with the Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi, deputy chief of Lal Masjid, who still remained inside the mosque.

    Government officials have asked for total and unconditional surrender of the Lal Masjid personnel.

    The interior minister said that Abdul Rashid Ghazi is present with some children in basement of the mosque complex and is using the children as human shield.

    Abdul Rashid Ghazi, if surrendered, would be treated in accordance with the law, Sherpao said.

    Head of the mosque, Maulana Abdul Aziz, arrested Wednesday with his daughter, has been shifted to Rawalpindi where he would face several charges including kidnapping in an anti-terrorism court, said Pakistan's State Minister of Information Tariq Azeem at another news briefing held earlier.

    Sherpao denied reports saying that gunship helicopters fired onthe mosque and seminary on Thursday, adding that the students first fired shots at the helicopters.

    The interior Minister said that the security forces are showing maximum restraint to avoid casualties.

    He confirmed a total of 19 people were killed in the three-day of clashes between the security forces and students of Lal Masjid.