Islamabad, July 04: The stand-off between Pakistani troops and militant clerics and students of Lal Masjid escalated today as they exchanged heavy fire while over 800 students surrendered amid reports that security forces may storm the complex.
The authorities extended the deadline periodically for students to surrender as hardcore elements with suspected links to miltant group Jaish-e- Mohammad continued to remain defiant and exchanged automatic weapons fire, a day after clashes left 21 dead and 150 injured.
Two hundred burqa clad girls were among those who surrendered and the number of militants in the mosque and a women's seminary was not known as armoured personnel carriers kept a tight vigil at Lal Masjid. Helicopter gunships also circled overhead.
Curfew was imposed in the area surrounding the mosque and electricity to the complex cut in the night with authorities making repeated pleas to those inside the complex to surrender. President Pervez Musharraf has offered an Amnesty package to those who surrender.
The Pakistani forces resorted to tear gas shelling to drive out those holed up in the mosque, Chief Commissioner of the Islamabad Police, Chaudhry Iftikhar said.
This resulted in firing from inside the mosque, leading to heavy exchange of fire between the two sides, media reports said. Musharraf has cleared an operation, if necessary, to flush out the militants, "DawnNews" television reported.
Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani told a press conference the government was working to "ensure minimum loss of human lives during any operation against Lal Masjid."
There were reports that the helicopter gunships were fired upon the militants within the mosque while flying close to the Lal Masjid
Soon after surrendering, many boys and girls told media that several thousand students, believed to be heavily-armed hardcore elements, continued to resist surrender and vowed to carry on their fight till death. Till this evening the government gave seven deadlines to surrender and wanted to offer some more before it decided to conduct an operation to flush out the hardcore elements.
Estimates of the remaining militants varied from 2,000 to 5,000 some of whom were believed to be members of the banned Jaish-e-Muhammad.
Lal Masjid's madrassas houses around 7,000 students, mostly hailing from poor families of remote areas of North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
As the students surrender, they are being thoroughly screened with the clerics claiming that many of them were suicide bombers.
While the male students, who surrendered, were sent to Adiala prison for interrogation, the girls had been handed over to their parents.
Many of those surrendered complained that they have not received Rs 5,000, which offered by Musharraf as expenses to go home.
Some complained that they were being prevented from going out of the mosque while others said they came out of their free will. But most of them said they would again go back if they get an opportunity as they believed in devoting their lives to carry out 'jihad.'
Bureau Report