Students Hold Positions at Islamabad Lal Masjid, Jamia Hafsa   
'Pakistan Times' Federal Bureau

ISLAMABAD: Students of religious school attached with Lal Masjid have taken up positions at the mosque and Jamia Hafsa as alert was declared in Islamabad hospitals on Sunday amid tense standoff between the students and the administration.

According to details about 10,000 men of Punjab Police have been deployed in Islamabad. Moreover the traffic police have given alternate traffic plan for any emergency situation.

The students of religious school attached with Lal Masjid have taken positions in the mosque and Jamia Hafsa, reports said.

The students reportedly holding sticks with them, however the sources have pointed out presence of arms in the mosque.

The mosque loudspeakers were reported to be playing Jehadi songs.

The police have been declared alert with standing directives to close the road leading to Aabpara after operation orders.

Security men have been posted at roofs of key Islamabad buildings, while monitoring of entry points of the capital has been tightened.

Of Operation

Islamabad administration sources Sunday said that operation is likely against the Lal Masjid administration.

The capital has been sealed and bearded people traveling in vehicles being taken out for body search.

Meanwhile, students of the religious school attached with Lal Masjid have dugout at the mosque and Jamia Hafsa.

The main Melody road leading to the mosque from Abpara and the service road in front of Jamia Hafsa building have been sealed.

The Rangers and Police have been declared red alert, while emergency has been announced in the hospitals.

The traffic police have diverted vehicular traffic to the alternate route, while traffic policemen have been posted in all streets of the area.

Rangers and Punjab Police at G-6 quarters have also been made alert and two trucks with barbed wire were reached in the area.

Rangers’ men are also patrolling at some key roads of the capital. The police have ordered closure of all markets in Islamabad by 09:00 PM.

Islamabad administration sources have indicated probable action against the Lal Masjid administration.

Warning by Sherpao

An earlier report said that Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao Sunday termed the kidnapping of four police officials by the students of a religious seminary Jamia Hasfa as a heinous crime.

Condemning the incident he warned the seminary students to release the remaining two police officials forthwith or be ready to endure the fall out of such crimes.

Government is persistently showing patience to avoid the bloodshed as women are also present in the seminary. Management of the Jamia Hafsa will be solely responsible for the consequences as such things cannot be tolerated, he said.

PML (Q) President Ch Shujaat Hussain had visited them several times in his bid to extract a negotiated settlement of the issue but his efforts remained fruitless.

The kidnapping of four police officials is regrettable contrary to the commitments made with the PML president, he said.

Rejecting media's impression that the government has released some persons on pursuance of Jamia Hafsa he said it was just a coincidence as court has accepted their bales.●