February 07, 2007	Wednesday	Muharram 18, 1428

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 6: The capital administration has called women police and Rangers from Punjab to bolster its preparation for a possible crackdown on elements defying the government writ on the illegal mosques issue.

The government will be left with no choice but to take action against Lal Masjid and Madressah Hafsa administration if the girl students of the seminary did not end their occupation of the children’s library, sources in the Islamabad administration told Dawn.

The girl students of Madressah Hafsa have been occupying the Modern Children’s Library since January 21 to protest the razing of two mosques.

The sources said a heavy contingent of women police and rangers from Punjab had been called to reinforce the capital police during the crackdown.

The interior ministry had earlier put on hold an expected crackdown on the management of Lal Masjid due to the sensitivity of Muharram and decided to go for all ‘peaceful options’ to get the children’s library vacated.

“Now we have utilised all options to resolve the stand-off peacefully but it seems that hardline Ulema of Lal Masjid want their permanent occupation on the library because it is located between the madressah and the mosque”, a senior official in the local administration requesting not to be named said.

It is also feared that any action against the management of the mosque could spark law and order situation in the capital which could spread to other parts of the country, as well, he added.

Since the start of the confrontation between the Ulema and the government on the issue of demolition of mosques, the entire Lal Masjid complex has been guarded by the armed students so that they can resist any crackdown. The official said the crackdown had become imminent after failure of ‘indirect’ dialogue between the local administration and the management of the Lal Masjid.

A compromise reached by the Wafaqul Madaris, a supervisory body of all seminaries in the country and the government on ending the confrontation on Saturday was rejected by the hardline leadership of the Lal Masjid. “We will go into action when the government gives us the order,” Senior Superintendent of Police Sikandar Hayat told Dawn.

The capital police have reportedly arrested over 100 trouble-makers since Saturday for defying the ban on protests in the city or in pre-emptive raids on seminaries who were protecting illegal occupation of public library.

Use of force to subdue the hardline religious elements who have been confronting the government over its decision to pull down “illegally built mosques” became pressing after firearms appeared in the hands of girl students of Madressah Hafsa who had occupied a public library two weeks ago in a show of defiance.

Maddressah Hafsa and Maddressah Fareedia are located in the compound of Lal Masjid which is said to have been expanding illegally.

The government amended a law to enhance the punishment for misuse of loudspeakers. The clergy is usually accused of abusing the sound amplifiers of mosques to spread religious hatred.

President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Monday increased the maximum punishment for misuse of loudspeakers in the capital to three-month imprisonment and Rs1,000 in fine.

Earlier the maximum punishment used to be one month imprisonment and fine of Rs100.