Islamic seminary in Pakistan releases policemen

Islamabad, May 24 (UNI) Students of an Islamic seminary affiliated to the radical Red Mosque today released two policemen they held hostage for seven days.

''We are releasing the policemen on Islamic and humanitarian basis,'' vice principal of Jamia Faridiya seminary and deputy leader of the Lal Masjid Abdul Rashid Ghazi told newspersons after freeing them.

Students of the seminary had seized four policemen on Friday but released two of them after striking a deal with the government, which assured the mosque that it would set free 11 students detained by local administration.

''The government released only two students while remaining nine are still in their custody,'' said Ghazi, who brought the two released policemen with him to main gate of the mosque.

''We are releasing these two policemen because we are not cruel like the government,'' he said.

Both the policemen, Aurangzeb Awan and Raja Jehangir said the mosque students did not misbehave with them and provided good food and environment.

''We were allowed to talk to our senior officials and family members,'' they said.

Lal Masjid has been in controversy since female students of its Jamia Hafsa seminary occupied a children library in protest against demolition of several mosques in Islamabad.

These students also kidnapped lady owner of a brothel and released her only after she confessed her sins and promised not to indulge in such acts in future.

The kidnapping followed visit by baton-wielding students of the mosque in nearby markets with a warning to video/DVD shop owners to wind up their ''unislamic business''.

Chief cleric of the mosque Maulana Abdul Aziz also set up so-called Shariat court in April to deliver justice to people and shut brothels, gambling dens and alcohol outlets in the city.

UNI