July 20, 2007	Friday	Rajab 04, 1428

ATTOCK, July 19: The mother of a seminary student killed in the Lal Masjid military raid has moved the Supreme Court to seek the boy’s body, which was claimed by the authorities in Islamabad as that of a foreign militant, a family member said on Thursday.

Shahid Usman Shah, who belonged to Shakardra village, was killed in the storming operation on July 10, while his younger brother, Saifullah (18), was injured and is now being treated at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) in the federal capital.

Shahid Usman’s uncle, Syed Sanaullah Shah, told Dawn that the Supreme Court had sought a report on the said issue from the officials in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration.

The victim’s father, Syed Usman Ali Shah, told this correspondent that the security agencies were not giving any information about the place where his son’s body was being kept.

He said facial features of Shahid were comparable with those of Afghan or Uzbik nationals, but it was unfair to declare him a foreign militant without proper verification.

Mr Shah urged the government to hand over his son’s body for burial without any further delay, besides releasing his injured son.

Meanwhile, the body of another Lal Masjid student - Mohammad Aksar - had not been handed over to his heirs, who also belong to the Shakardra village.

MEETING WITH DCO: Shahid Usman’s family and the village notables on Thursday met District Coordination Officer (DCO) Attock, Mukhtar Ahmed, and sought his help in getting back the body of the deceased.

Extending all possible help to the delegation, the DCO said the issue was being pursued by the concerned quarters.

Meanwhile, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) office-bearers led by the party’s deputy general secretary (Punjab), Maulana Abdul Sattar, also visited the residence of Shahid Usman to condole his death.