January 18, 2003	Saturday	Ziqa'ad 14, 1423

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

ISLAMABAD, Jan 17: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) MNA, Mian Aslam, has warned that any provocation in the form of raids on mosques and Madaris in the federal capital will lead to a direct clash.

The MNA was talking to reporters at Lal Masjid after a meeting with more than 50 religious leaders and Imams of different mosques on Friday.

“If any such raids came on any mosque or Madressah in Islamabad, we will arrest the people involved in the operation,” he said.

He said raids were conducted on two mosques in Islamabad during the last three days.

“One mosque is located in green belt opposite sector G-9/3, while the second raid was conducted on Abdullah Bin Mafhoom mosque in G-8 Markaz. Both the raids came at around 1am in the dead of night.”

He alleged that the people present in the mosque were ushered to the lawn of the mosque.

The MMA leader said some unidentified persons took all the record in their custody and took the cook away with them, who was released in a forest near Faizabad after 24 hours.

When asked how they would deal with armed people involved in such raids as any resistance could lead to exchange of fire, the MNA said: “they will be two or four, but we have thousands of people. We will arrest them over there.”

Answering another question, Mian Aslam said religious scholars and students of Madaris were not interested in starting a clash.

“But as the government is not ready to admit that the people, who raided these mosques, were from the police or FBI, then we will arrest those who tried to do such a thing in future,” he warned.

He said a future strategy to deal with such a situation would be finalized through consultations and keeping in view the attitude of the government.

However, a spokesman for Islamabad police said there were no raids on any mosque or Madressah by the police or any other agency. The allegations are baseless, he added.

“The fact of the matter is that there are two cases of power theft registered against the Imam of the mosque and he wanted those to be waived and his power connection restored,” the spokesman told Dawn.

He said a FIR was registered with the Margalla Police Station on the charges of power theft, while a similar FIR was registered late last year.

The spokesman said Fida Mohammad Khan also paid a visit to the Additional Deputy Commissioner-General (ADC-G) of Islamabad in his office with the same purpose.

However, when contacted the ADC-G confirmed that the Imam came to him, but did not asked to waive the power theft cases.

According to the ADC-G, Mohammad Fida asked him to help in getting a power connection for the mosque.