Crackdown on banned outfits' activists

04 Jul, 2004

Intelligence personnel took in custody two suspects from a religious seminary of Muzaffargarh, some 35 km west of Multan, on Saturday morning. They were identified as Mueenuddin and Omar Draz and were taken away to undisclosed place.
Moulvi Muhammad Shafi, a teacher of the seminary, told newsmen that some people came in a car and a police carrier and lifted Mueenuddin, former district chief of banned SSP, and Omar Draz, an activist of banned 'Jihadi' organisation.
Salman Chaudhry, DPO Muzaffargarh, said on phone that he was in Lahore and it was not in his knowledge that two persons were held. Sources said that 12 students, who belonged to Nepal, Sri-Lanka, Turkey, Uganda, Sudan, Nigeria, and Tanzania, were taken into custody from the hostels of religious seminaries on Thursday.
They had come to Pakistan to take part in the Taleeghi congregation in Raiwind but did not go back to their countries and stayed there unlawfully.
Intelligence agencies on Thursday raided a religious seminary, 'Jamia Rehmania' in Jehanian (Khanewal) some 45 km east of Multan, and took Qari Sajjad Hussain and his two guests in custody for interrogation.
"We were tipped off that two terrorists had reached Jehanian and stayed at a religious seminary, 'Jamia Rehmania'. We raided the religious institution at noon, when students and teachers were taking lunch, and took three suspects, including a senior teacher of the institution Qari Sajjad Hussain", an official of Intelligence confirmed their arrest.
He said that Hidayatullah and others were being interrogated about the assassination of Azam Tariq, because he had quitted as gunman some five years ago and some useful information was required.
The Principal of the seminary, Javed Iqbal, said that Hidayatullah and his unidentified friend had reached the seminary on Wednesday night and stayed there because he was a friend of Sajjad Hussain. Six persons in plain clothes reached Jamia Rehmania during lunch and posed as intelligence personnel and took them in custody and whisked away.

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