ISLAMABAD: The capital police are hunting former seminary students affiliated with Lal Masjid, who were arrested during the military operation on the mosque in 2007 and are now suspected of regrouping to activate the Ghazi Force.

Officials in the police told Dawn on the condition of anonymity that Ghazi Force was formed by the former students of Lal Masjid to avenge the killing of Abdul Rashid Ghazi and others during the Operation Silence in July 2007.

The officials alleged that Ghazi Force was involved in the suicide attacks on the Special Branch Islamabad on March 23, 2009; the Frontier Constabulary barracks on April 4, 2009; Rescue-15 on June 6, 2009, and the World Food Programme office on October 5, 2009. The force also planned to strike at Adiala Jail and the UN office in Islamabad. Besides, it was involved in six terrorism attacks in Swat, Buner and Orakzai Agency.

During the Operation Silence, hundreds of students and those affiliated with the mosque were arrested. The record obtained from the computerised national identity cards (CNICs) of the arrested people was maintained by the police. But as a majority of them were below the age of 18 years and did not possess CNICs, their details were not available even with Nadra. And the particulars obtained from the students were not authentic.

Also read: Suicide attack threats again ring out of Lal Masjid

The officials said during the military operation in Swat, Ghazi Force was dismantled by security forces. But now there are intelligence reports that the former activists of the force are contacting each other to reactivate the group. As a result, the police have launched a reconnaissance on the suspects with the help of the record available with it.

Former members of the force are said to be regrouping

There are a number of people who might have been associated with the force in the past and their status needed to be checked and verified. The officials said the police had the record of about 368 people who were being traced now.

These suspected people belonged to different districts such as Azad Kashmir, Attock, Swat and Buner, so the capital police are contacting their counterparts in these areas to get their status verified. Those living in Islamabad and nearby districts are being monitored by the capital police. So far, 68 suspects have been checked and verified and almost all of them cleared, they said.

Similarly, 111 people were also traced in other areas and the addresses of 51 of them got confirmed. Efforts are in progress to confirm the addresses of the remaining people. The officials said vigilance had also been mounted in and around Lal Masjid and those coming there regularly were being monitored.

Published in Dawn January 21st , 2015

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