Home Indian Muslim Wife, daughter of Lal Masjid chief cleric captured: report

Wife, daughter of Lal Masjid chief cleric captured: report

By Xinhua

Islamabad : Pakistani security forces Tuesday captured Umm-e-Hasaan, wife of Lal Masjid's chief cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz and his daughter Asma during an operation against defiant inmates of the mosque compound, state media reported.

The two women along with 25 other female students and three children were apprehended from the seminary, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported, quoting unnamed sources.

Earlier, Dawn News channel also said wife and daughter of Maulana Abdul Aziz, head of Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, were among the 27 women saved by soldiers.

Aziz was arrested July 4 while attempting to escape from the besieged mosque wearing a burqa.

Security forces started a full-fledged operation at around 4 a.m. Tuesday (GMT 2300 Monday) as peace negotiations through religious scholars failed to convince the defiant militants inside the Lal Masjid to surrender.

The military has confirmed a total of 50 militants were killed while 50 others have surrendered in Tuesday's operation, in which eight security personnel died and 29 others were injured.

Troops are controlling most parts of the Lal Masjid mosque and seminary compound, which includes some 75 rooms and basements, according to officials.

Earlier, addressing a news briefing, Pakistani army spokesman Waheed Arshad said Abdul Rashid Ghazi, deputy chief of Lal Masjid, might be present in the basement of the mosque or the basement of his residence.