KARACHI, July 10: Umme Hassan, the woman said to be the brains behind the Lal Masjid burqa brigade, her daughter Asma and around 30 other women who had confined themselves to a basement, were forced to come out when the troops said they had installed dynamite to blow up the area, sources in the security agencies told Dawn.

The sources said that when the commandos reached the place and started combing the place room-by-room, they sensed the presence of women beneath the residential area.

The troops warned them that the basement would be blown up. Minutes later the women gave up. Most of the women appeared quite exhausted, complaining of headache. Tablets were given to them, the sources said.

While being taken to the prison vehicle, the women raised slogans of “al-jihad, al-jihad”.