ISLAMABAD, July 11: The government will take stern action against madressahs involved in illegal activities or promoting militancy and extremism, and such institutions will be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law, says Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

Talking to newsmen here on Wednesday, he said that the exact number of militants’ causalities in the Lal Masjid operation would be known after completion of the clean-up operation in the mosque-madressah complex.

He said that between 40 and 50 militants had been killed, adding that no woman was among the dead. At least 10 military personnel had lost their lives in the operation which was carried out with utmost care to save the lives of women and children, the prime minister said.

He said he was not aware if the mother of Abdul Rashid Ghazi had been killed.

He said that the issue of militancy in Lal Masjid had been brewing for quite some time and the government had credible information about the presence of a ‘certain category’ of people inside the mosque-madressah complex who were not students.

Blaming the people inside Jamia Hafsa for triggering the action, he said that they were interfering in normal civic life and challenging the writ of the government.

He said the government had tried its best to resolve the issue through dialogue, but the administration of Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa did not respond positively, adding that political and religious leaders had also tried to resolve the issue peacefully.

The prime minister said that last-minute attempts were made to resolve the issue, but the dialogue was deadlocked particularly when the negotiating team was told that there were foreign militants in the complex and safe passage was sought for them.

The intransigence of a few extremists hampered every attempt for a peaceful solution and the government was compelled to launch the operation, said the prime minister.

He said the government had initiated a reforms programme to ensure that madressahs’ curricula, which focussed only on religious education, also included formal education.