Lal Masjid brigade kidnap Chinese nationals

Islamabad, June 23: Students from Islamic seminaries affiliated with the radical Lal Masjid abducted 12 people, including nine foreigners, in an operation midnight, last night.

Those abducted are nine Chinese nationals, five of them women, and three Pakistanis. Students raided a massage centre here in three vehicles after overpowering three Pakistani guards posted at the centre, the News reported.

Later, they entered the building and ordered the Chinese nationals, who were present there, to accompany them. On refusal, the students thrashed them and took them to the Jamia Hafsa compound.

Religious students accused the abducted people of rendering non-Islamic and unlawful services.

A senior police official Kamran Adil confirmed 12 persons, including nine Chinese, were kidnapped by the Lal Masjid brigade.

The latest kidnappings triggered fears of a major operation against the mosque, which was in news after the burqa-clad students of Jamia Hafsa abducted a local brothel manager while agitating students of the mosque stormed local markets and asked Video/DVD shops to shut their non-Islamic business.

Pakistan's private Geo TV quoted Deputy Interior Minister Zafar Iqbal as saying the National Assembly today that the government would launch an operation against the mosque if approved by majority of the lower house.

Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said the government was making all efforts to secure release of Chinese nationals.

A series of terror hit Pakistan during recent months especially after the government signed peace deals with local Taliban in the troubled tribal regions of North and South Waziristan, which served as a shelter for hundreds of foreign militants.

Most of these militants fled after the 2001 US-led military operation in Afghanistan and allegedly set up military training camps in Pakistan.

UNI