FAISALABAD, April 7: Scores of foreign students have reportedly left the hostels of local deeni madaris following reports that a hunt is being launched against the associates and sympathizers of Al Qaeda members rounded up on March 28.

FBI personnel with the assistance of Pakistani agencies had rounded up over four dozen people during raids on Faisal Town, Samanabad, Mansoorabad, Madina Town, and Chak No 201 EB on the charge of having links with Al Qaeda men. The arrest of another six ‘important’ Al Qaeda men from Muslim Town came to light on Saturday.

It was learnt during visits to the main religious madaris of the city on Sunday that over 50 per cent students from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Turkemenistan, Egypt, Tunis, Thailand, and other Arab countries have either shifted to rented houses and other places or returned to their respective countries during the last week.

It was also observed that the managements of most deeni madaris have tightened security arrangements in their respective institutions. Guards of private security agencies were seen on duty at the main entrance of over two dozen deeni madaris.

Earlier, anyone could visit a madressah but now credentials of every visitors were being checked minutely and entry was allowed with the permission of Mohtamam (administrator).

Foreigners residing in the hostels of the madaris have been directed not to visit commercial areas and public places without the permission of administrators of their respective institutions.

There are 155 deeni madaris of Deoband, Ahle Sunnat and Fiqa Jaferia schools of thought in the district.

Under the Deeni Madaris (Registration and Control) Ordinance 2002, the registered institutions are required to ensure teaching curricula prescribed by the Pakistan Madressah Education Board, declare sources of income, donations and foreign funding and not allow admission to any foreigner without NOC from the Pakistan government and without a valid study visa.

Villagers protest: Villagers of Chak 500-GB and its adjoining villages at Mamukanjan besieged the police station and blocked the road to protest the killing of a youth in what they called fake police encounter on Saturday night.

A villager had informed the Mamukanjan police that some bandits were looting the commuters and pedestrians on the main road. The SHO along with a heavy police contingent rushed to the spot and intercepted two boys. Policemen asked them to hands up, but they started running towards the fields. Suspecting them bandits, policemen opened fire on them, killing one of them instantly while other managed to escaped in the dark.

In the meantime, some villagers also gathered there and identified the dead as Muhammad Riaz, a farmer of the area. The police party fled when some villagers tried to beat them, leaving the body on the spot. The villagers made announcement on the loudspeakers and gathered on the main road. They blocked the traffic and started chanting slogans against the police.

They also staged a sit-in in front of the police station and encircled it. They demanded immediate arrest of policemen who shot dead an ‘innocent’ boy.

The protesters dispersed when the ASP, who came there with a heavy police contingent, assured them that stern action would be taken against the policemen if they were found staging a fake encounter.

On receipt of information about encircling the area police station, additional superintendent of police alongwith a police contingent rushed to the spot and held parleys with the infuriated villagers. He assured them that stern action would be taken against the policemen in case they found staging fake encounter. On this assurance of the ASP, angry villagers dispersed.

The police sent the body to local Allied hospital for postmortem. No case has so far been registered against any police official or person who was killed in the encounter.