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Pakistani gov't sends delegation to persuade Lal Masjid militants to surrender |
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07:25, July 10, 2007 |
The Pakistani government Monday sent a 13-member delegation to Lal Masjid mosque in a bid to resolve peacefully the standoff between the government and militants, a Pakistani TV channel DAWN NEWS reported.
Headed by President of Pakistan Muslim League (PML) Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, the delegation consists of six officials and seven ulema, according to the TV reports.
The delegation was constituted by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Monday after day-long deliberations and meetings with different delegations of ulema and politicians.
The delegation will try to contact with Abdul Rashid Ghazi, deputy chief of Lal Masjid, and go inside the mosque to hold meetings with him if possible.
At the same time, two hostage negotiators were also called in to join the efforts, DAWN NEWS said.
The security forces on Monday tried to negotiate with Ghazi through loudspeakers but received no response yet, DAWN NEWS reported.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said Monday the government does not want to see more bloodshed, and security forces will try to ensure the security of innocent people who were taken as hostages in the mosque.
Monday marks the 7th day of the standoff between Lal Masjid students and the government, which started last Tuesday when students snatched arms and wireless sets from the police.
Government officials confirmed that 22 people have killed and around 100 suffered injuries in the clashes so far.
Source: Xinhua
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