July 12, 2007	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 26, 1428

ISLAMABAD, July 11: Parents and relatives of scores of missing Lal Masjid students on Wednesday criticised the government for its handling of students’ search as fate of many is not known yet.

The parents and relatives of the students are losing hopes as time passes.

According to official sources, about 47 students had surrendered on Tuesday amid heavy fighting. Out of the 47, 11 had sustained bullet wounds.

Scores of relatives had been visiting the surrender point, different hospitals, jail and other premises in the search of their relatives but without results.

It was not clear how many people were inside the complex when it was stormed by the security forces.

The security forces began a full scale siege of the Lal Masjid last Tuesday.

Amjad Ramzan, the elder brother of a student of Jamia Hafsa Madrassa Saqib Ramzan, 14, who had been visiting the surrender camp for last eight days told Dawn his brother was among the 47 students who surrendered on Tuesday and was taken into custody by the security officials.

Mr Amjad said while quoting his brother that there were about 20 students in his basement room and the only two including him had survived during the gun fire.

Mr Amjad said when he asked the authorities to allow his brother to go with him, they refused and threatened to book him also.

Grief-stricken Ali Asghar, a resident of Abbottabad, said in his comments that his brother Ali Akbar, 25, had gone to say his prayers at Lal Masjid on last Tuesday but did not return. He said he had talked to his brother about four to five times since he had been inside the mosque. But since yesterday, he had no words from his brother.

Ali Asghar said that he had been visiting each and every place in search of his brother but without success.

“I have visited at least 16 different places, including jail, Haji Complex, surrender point and different hospital to trace my brother. Always the old lists of the students are shown to me that do not contain my brother’s name,” Ali Asghar said.

He appealed: “Please tell me whether my brother is in the world, his family is in distress. I beg you.”

Like Ali Asghar there were several other parents and their relatives who had been looking towards the district administration officials and military authorities to get information about their sons who had been inside the Madrassa Hafsa.

The security personnel had been preventing the media persons from having access to information about the operation and the extent of causalities since the injured victims started pouring in hospitals.