ISLAMABAD, July 9: Under intense pressure from religious forces, the government on Monday changed its strategy for dealing with militants holed up in Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa.

A delegation of ulema and MMA lawmakers, in separate meetings with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, demanded an immediate end to the siege of Lal Masjid to give ulema a chance to negotiate with Abdul Rashid Ghazi to save lives of innocent children and women held hostage by militants in the mosque-madressa complex.

The ulema also urged the prime minister to announce amnesty for Abul Rashid Ghazi and his militants.

Earlier, talking to reporters, the prime minister had said that Lal Masjid issue could be resolved if children and women held hostage in the two buildings were released and Ghazi surrendered himself to face a court of law.

The prime minister held a series of consultations with the delegation, senior journalists and his cabinet and party colleagues before deciding to send a government-ulema team led by PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to hold talks with Abdul Rashid Ghazi.

In his meeting with ulema, the prime minister urged them to persuade the mosque administration to release all children and women without further delay.

Speaking on the occasion, Chaudhry Shujaat said that he had been in contact with ulema to resolve the issue peacefully.

He said he had even offered Abdul Rashid Ghazi that he could be kept under house arrest but he rejected the offer.

The delegation comprised Wafaqul Madaris President Maulana Saleemullah Khan, Mufti Muhammad Rafi Usmani, Maulana Muhammad Hanif Jalandheri, Dr Muhammad Adil, Mufti Muhammad Naeem, Maulana Zahidur Rashid, Mufti Muhammad, Qari Abdul Rashid, Maulana Hakim Muhammad Mazhar and Haji Amar Yasir.

A member of the 15-member MMA delegation told Dawn that the prime minister assured them that the issue would be resolved peacefully.

Dr Farid Paracha, who led the delegation, said that despite differences with the government “we are trying to help it resolve this issue purely on humanitarian grounds.”

“We urged the prime minister to halt the operation immediately and resolve the matter through dialogue.”