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FAISALABAD, March 30: Relatives are running from pillar to post to know the whereabouts of those picked up from the city for their alleged links with Al-Qaeda.
No police officer is ready to talk to them on the issue. Some were told to approach the Lahore police. Sources said of the 45 arrested from Faisalabad, 21 were locals and the rest foreigners.
Meanwhile, Nishatabad police on the complaint of SPDO (Saddar Circle) have registered a case against Al-Qaeda members for injuring two personnel of the Elite Force and opening indiscriminate fire by snatching an official rifle. The FIR has been sealed.
FBI CONTROVERSY: Though the Interior Ministry and the Punjab IGP deny the involvement of FBI in Faisalabad raids, sources confirmed the FBI agents took active part in the Thursday operation and shifted all the arrested to unknown destinations in their supervision.
Each raiding team, it was learnt, consisted of over 100 members, including FBI agents, Elite Force and personnel of local police and an intelligence agency.
Sources disclosed that during the first raid conducted at a house in Faisal Town, FBI agents were seen delighted when they identified the arrested as ‘front-command’ of Al-Qaeda.
Haji Nisar Ahmed of Samanabad whose house was also raided confirmed that “the FBI agents were watching and supervizing the operation with the assistance of local police officials”.
Nisar also told Dawn that FBI personnel were carrying photographs of a wanted man. “They asked me and my family several questions about the stranger.”
He said the FBI agents were giving instructions to the local police in English.
He complained that raiding team took away his passport, the mobile phone of his son, gold chain, a family photo album and some official documents of his son, property registration documents and other material by unlocking the almirahs.
Relatives of the arrested locals also claimed the presence of some foreigners who were interrogating the arrested.
Five persons who were released were also interrogated by the FBI men at the police lines in the presence officials of a secret agency. After clearance from FBI, the police released them, especially those arrested from Samanabad.
Media reports from Washington quoted Gen Tommy Franks as saying that secret officials of United State might have been cooperating in the crackdown.
Meanwhile, local police have reactivated its anti-terrorist cell for tracing other accomplices of the arrested terrorists. Well placed sources said that another operation cleanup against workers and leaders of banned militant groups might be launched within next 48 hours.
