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Defiant mosque leaders to face action: Pakistani official |
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17:34, July 04, 2007 |
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.
"If they surrendered, there is no need to take action," Azeem told a news conference.
He said that those students, who have killed people and burned government property, would face action but the innocent would be allowed to go home.
Meanwhile, Azeem confirmed 10 people killed and 94 injured during Tuesday's clashes.
He said that chief Maulana Abdul Aziz and deputy chief Abdul Rashid Ghazi of the Lal Majid mosque and seminary Jamia Hafsa would not get amnesty and they would face trial for their actions.
He said that there were likely 2,000 to 5,000 persons inside the mosque.
Azeem said that hospitals were on alert but "we hope that no such situation arises to cause more casualties".
He stressed that the government had been showing maximum restraint and will show restraint also in future.
"We can solve the problem amicably," he said, adding that deadlines were extended to give the students opportunity to surrender.
Earlier, over 300 female and male students Wednesday left the seminaries in the Pakistani capital to surrender before the authorities.
The authorities have adopted a strategy to observe utmost restraint to avoid bloodshed, law enforcement officials told the private Geo TV.
The strategy has produced positive results and more than 100 female and 200 male students of the seminaries affiliated to the Lal Masjid mosque have surrendered before the officials, they said.
Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf has announced payment of 5,000 rupees (one U.S. dollar is about 60 rupees) as travel expenses to each student who will lay down arms.
The parents have been advised to reach a wagon stand near the mosque to take their children back home.
Early Wednesday, the Pakistani government decided to launch operation and impose curfew near the red mosque in the capital following Tuesday's bloodshed clashes between religious students and security forces.
Shoot order has been issued to those who come out armed from the mosque, Lal Masjid. And the government has ordered the mosque leaders to surrender.
According to the private Geo TV, Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf said that the deaths in Lal Masjid incident were quite deplorable.
A high-level meeting chaired by Musharraf discussed all options including operation against the Lal Masjid management.
The meeting also reviewed the public reaction in connection with the operation of Lal Masjid.
Source: Xinhua
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