By Xinhua
Islamabad : The death toll in the clashes between radical students in the Lal Masjid and Pakistani security forces has risen to 24, Minister for Information Tariq Azeem confirmed Sunday.
The standoff at the Lal Masjid entered its sixth day today.
It is difficult to verify the casualties inside the mosque, Azeem said, adding that the government's policy remains unchanged and use of force is still the last option.
Abdul Rashid Ghazi, deputy chief of the Lal Masjid, claimed that 335 religious students died in the overnight operation Saturday, according to local TV channels.
There are still more than 1,000 men and women students inside the mosque in the heart of the city, Umm-e-Hassan, the principal of Jamia Hafsa and wife of Lal Masjid chief Maulana Abdul Aziz, was quoted as saying by The Nation newspaper Sunday.