Federal Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said here on Wednesday that the government had been trying to solve the Lal Masjid Jamia Hafsa row peacefully but the administrators of the seminary failed to respond positively. Talking to PTV in a telephonic interview the Minister said it was due to the attitude of the seminary administration that government had decided to take action.
Sherpao said that despite the fact that an action was underway in the seminary the government was still showing maximum restraint to minimise the losses. The seminary students had been offered general amnesty if they surrender to the authorities, the Minister said adding if Maulana Brothers surrender they would be dealt according to the law.
He said PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain first met the Maulana brothers and almost all their demands were principally accepted. However, they kept taking the law into their hands Sherpao said and added the Ulema belonging to various schools of thought were involved in efforts for negotiated settlement of the issue.
In recent past the seminary students on the directives of their masters took some Chinese citizens hostage thus giving an international angle to the situation, the Minister said. On Tuesday, they tried to attack the security forces personnel deployed near Lal Masjid and opened unprovoked fire on them, he said.
In such a situation, the government had no option but to take action he said adding still the efforts are being made to avoid more bloodshed. He said a number of male and female students had surrendered before the authorities and the process was continuing.