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India-Pakistan

IHC adjourns Perv's prayer for 4 days

2013-05-28

ISLAMABAD: A division bench of Islamabad High Court adjourned the hearing of bail application of former president Pervez Musharraf in judges’ detention case for four days and demanded the entire record of the case. Perv is going to wish he'd stayed in Arabia... On Monday, two-member bench of the IHC comprising Justice Riaz Ahmed Khan and Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui resumed the hearing of the bail plea of Pervez Musharraf in judges’ detention case. Muhammad Ilyas Siddiqui, the lawyer of Pervez Musharraf submitted an application in the court in which it is stated that the anti-terrorism act does not apply to the judges’ detention case. He asked the court how a person who remained president and supreme commander of the armed forces of the country could be ascertained a terrorist. He said that the challan was prepared in the light of statements of those who were not directly affected. There is nothing on the record that can prove that his client gave the orders to house arrest the judges, he said. The lawyer said that the protestor of the case had declared to withdraw the case from the court and not to proceed further in the case during a press conference, whereas there is no evidence against Pervez Musharraf. The court adjourned the hearing after issuing notices to all concerned parties. Earlier, Haroon Rashid, son Ghazi Abdul Rashid (late), former Principal of Jamia Faridia at the Lal Masjid, submitted an application in the court through his lawyer Tariq Asad in which he requested the court that the murder case of his father and grandmother had been pending in the court. The application states that there are some media reports that efforts are being made to send Pervez Musharraf abroad hence the hearing of the case may be held at the earliest.

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India-Pakistan

Music shop owners warned of suicide attacks in Quetta

2008-05-15

Underground militant organisation Ghazi Abdul Rashid Shaheed Brigade>Ghazi Abdul Rashid Shaheed Brigade (GARSB) has threatened video shops owners in Quetta to quit their business or “face suicide attacks”. “All music centre owners, cable operators and cinema owners should immediately quit their businesses and seek Allah’s forgiveness otherwise such individuals will be killed and suicide attacks will be carried out against them,” reads the GARSB’s recent warning. The organisation, named after Islamabad’s Red Mosque’s slain prayer leader Ghazi Abdul Rashid, has shocked the entertainment industry in Quetta following the distribution of the threatening pamphlets. The GARSB views all forms of entertainment as ‘un-Islamic’.

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India-Pakistan

Lal Masjid cadre denies assassination threat to Benazir

2007-10-19

Lal Masjid students said on Thursday their movement was peaceful and they did not believe in terrorism and political assassinations. "No, no! Certainly not!" Responding to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s statement that militants had threatened to assassinate her, Tehreek-e-Talaba-o-Talibat, an informal body of students who have been attached to the mosque, issued a statement saying that they did not “believe in terrorism and political assassinations as a means to bring about an Islamic revolution”. “Not even a single opponent of the movement (of Lal Masjid clerics to impose Sharia in the country) was physically attacked before or after the infamous operation against the mosque,” said Abu Hafs, a spokesman for Lal Masjid. He said an attack on a leader “as insignificant as Mohtarma (Benazir)” would be a sign of desperation, disorganisation and demoralisation of his organisation. “On the contrary, we are even more organised and disciplined than before the demolition of Jamia Hafsa. Our morale is high and we are hopeful about the supremacy of Sharia in our country,” he said. Hafs said the Lal Masjid movement would gain nothing from attacking Ms Bhutto. “However, there are some hidden hands who might attack her and put the blame on us. The neo-fascist organisation, the MQM, might try to sabotage her rally,” he said. He said the MQM was in the habit of wiping off political opponents. “The nation has not yet forgotten the Nishtar Park bloodbath,” Hafs said, speculating that the president could also try to cash in on an attack on Ms Bhutto. “He (the president) might have a justification to impose martial law and extend his rule for a few more years. After all Musharraf is fond of South American right wing military dictators,” he said. Maulana Muhammad Amir, the Lal Masjid deputy cleric and Ghazi Abdul Rashid’s nephew, was not available for comment.

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India-Pakistan

Nuggets from the Urdu press

2007-08-06

MMA’s secret deal with Musharraf In daily Nawa-e-Waqt, lyrical columnist Irfan Siddique wrote that, according to reliable sources, Chief Minister of NWFP Akram Durrani gave a detailed briefing to the National Security Council on crushing extremists. Is there any agreement between the MMA and the army to crush extremism? During the last few years, many Al Qaeda and Taliban operatives were captured in NWFP by the provincial police. Army operations are going on in Balochistan, where the MMA is part of the government. Nazir Naji’s trip to a London flat Columnist Nazir Naji wrote in daily Jang, that if he dodged the bullet of the person appointed to kill him, if there was no suicide attack on the airport, if the plane was not hijacked, if no bomb exploded in Heathrow airport, and if the underground train took him to his destination, then he would reach the flat of Aneeq Naji in London this evening. Eve teaser jinn in Jalo Pind As reported in daily Khabrain, jinns have occupied Jalo Pind and started playing with the honour of women. 50 percent of the population has sent their womenfolk to other areas to save their honour. For the last month a ten foot tall, black and bald jinn has entered homes and fondled women. He attacked an old woman and tried to strangle her. Police arrested a Christian Baba Bashir masih because he had statues in his house and was believed to be a master of black magic. Musk smell from the grave of Ghazi Abdul Rashid As reported in daily Khabrain, thousands of aqeedatmand (devotees) of Ghazi Abdul Rashid are thronging to his grave in Rojhan, Taunsa Sharrif, and are taking samples of mud from his grave as tabarrak (blessed gifts). Gul Khan from Waziristan said that the grave of Ghazi Abdul Rashid smells of kasturi (musk) and roses. The sheet that covered the body of Ghazi Abdul Rashid was divided by hundreds of devotees. Karzai pardons Pakistani suicide bomber As reported in daily Khabrain, Afghan President Hamid Karzai pardoned a 14 year old Pakistani boy. The boy, Rafiqullah, illegally crossed the border wearing a suicide belt to kill the governor of Khost Arsalla Jamal. Rafiqullah said that he met a person in Afghanistan who gave him the jacket. He said he was threatened when he refused to attack the governor. His father, Matiullah, said he didn’t know about the activities of his son. Extremists critical of “political ulema” In daily Nawa-e-Waqt, lyrical columnist Irfan Siddique wrote that many people believe that the target of the army in Swat is Maulvi Fazalullah (Maulvi Radio). Maulvi Fazalullah is running a seminary in Imam Dheri that has become famous for its dars Quran course. A large section of the public have become his devotees because of his emotional, fiery speeches and his hostility to the “political ulema.” Ghazi Abdul Rashid also criticised the “political ulema,” and therefore the security of Maulana Fazl ur Rehman was also beefed up. Don’t let Imran and Qazi influence Nawaz Sharif As reported in Daily Pakistan, the leader of the opposition, Maulana Fazl ur Rehman, has sent a message to Benazir Bhutto, saying she should revise her political policies and should not distance herself from Nawaz Sharif, else he will be influenced by Qazi Hussain Ahmad and Imran Khan. If the situation remains the same, then they will make emotional rather than political decisions. He said that such a situation would be dangerous for both of us. Pakistan army equipped only to fight India Daily Express, quoting from The New York Times, reported that when Al Qaeda was organising in Afghanistan, the Clinton administration was in the dark about their activities. Now that American intelligence agencies are convinced of Al Qaeda’s presence in the tribal areas of Pakistan, they are in the same situation as the Clinton administration was. According to CIA officials, the Pakistan army is incapable of fighting Al Qaeda in the tribal areas, as the army is equipped with traditional weapons and is only trained to fight India. 17th amendment was a mistake As reported in Daily Pakistan, Naib Amir of Jamaat Islami Pir Ghafoor Ahmad and ex-mayor of Karachi, Maulvi Naymat Ullah, went to the High Court to congratulate lawyers on their successful campaign for the restoration of the Chief Justice. The secretary of the High Court Bar welcomed them and said that if the MMA had not supported the 17th amendment, Pervez Musharraf wouldn’t have been in office today. Professor Ghafoor said that they would make up for the mistake of the 17th amendment. Saudi Grand Mufti condemns fictitious jihad According to Daily Pakistan, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz, said that Muslim youth should be aware of those who are instigating them to carry out a fictitious jihad. He said that these elements keep their own children away from these hardships, which show their wicked intentions. He said one group is spreading a fitna (mischief) among ummah, and it should be avoided. Sir, we are with you! In daily Express, famous columnist Javed Chaudhry wrote that the government killed innocent citizens in Karachi on May 12. On July 10, it attacked Jamia Hafsa and killed more than 2,000 innocent girls and boys. The greatest hero of Pakistan, Dr Abdul Qadeer, has been under house arrest for 1,236 days. Sir, now the people of Pakistan have woken up and will make sure that your decisions are acted upon. Start with small cases, and we are all with you. Pakistan made for turban not cap Columnist Saadullah Jan Barq wrote in daily Express, that after every washing (changing of government), the cap of foreign policy shrinks while the head keeps growing. Shaheed Awal (first martyr) tried to insert the head of socialism into it while Shaheed doam (second martyr) tried to force the head of Afghanistan into it. Now, another steel cap is being forced on this head and it has injured the head at several places. We saw surgery on an injury recently. Actually, this head was not made for the cap but for the turban. Suicide bombing is haram in Islam As reported in daily Khabrain, the principal of Jamia Ashraful Madaris Okara, Sahibzada Faiz ur Rehman Okarvi, said that suicide bombers are committing suicide, which is haram in Islam, and those responsible have no relation with Muslims. He said the only solution for extremism and terrorism in Islam is that those responsible shall be declared traitors of Islam and put to the sword.

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India-Pakistan

Another Lal Masjid surfaces

2007-07-30

GHALANAI: Masked Taliban gunmen occupied the tomb of freedom fighter Haji Sahib Turangzai and a nearby mosque – and named it Lal Masjid – at Ghazi Abad in Lakrou Tehsil, some 40 kilometres north of Mohmand Agency headquarters Ghalani. Taliban leader Umar Khalid told reporters that they had named the mosque Lal Masjid and that the place was the centre of the jihad launched by Haji Sahib Turangzai against the British rulers. “We want to take forward the missions of Haji Turangzai and Lal Masjid’s slain khateeb Ghazi Abdul Rashid,” he added. Khalid also said they were setting up two madrassas, one each for boys and girls, and added that the boys’ madrasa would be named after Haji Sahib and the girls school would be named Jamia Hafsa Umm-e-Hassan. The Taliban leader said any govt effort against them would be resisted. He claimed around 3,000 men in Mohmand Agency were ready to sacrifice their lives for Shariah.

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India-Pakistan

Nuggets from the Urdu press

2007-07-21

He-couple of Baghbanpura As reported in daily Nawa-e-Waqt, in Baghbanpura a gay man killed his 36 year old lover for marrying a girl. According to reports, Shahbaz, the groom-to-be, had relations with a local man named Babar for ten years. A month before Shahbaz got married, Babar invited him to his place, intoxicated him and then tortured and killed him. Politicians are easy victims of criticism In daily Nawa-e-Waqt, columnist Atta ur Rehman wrote that Aitzaz Ahsan, lead counsel of the Chief Justice, argued that if we criticise the Army we could get a jail sentence, as Javed Hashmi did. If we say something against judges, they have the power to imprison us for six months. If we criticise the religious parties, we are afraid of fatwas of apostasy from them. But it’s very easy to criticise the politicians. He said that politicians are the most criticised group, though there is also no doubt that politicians are not innocent either. Taliban forced 6 year old to carry suicide belt As reported in Daily Pakistan, a six year old boy alleged that the Taliban tried to force him to wear a suicide belt to attack American forces in Afghanistan. The Taliban have denied the allegations. Six year old Juma Gul, from District Andhar, said that the Taliban took him to southern Afghanistan and sent him to the district office wearing the suicide belt. Pakistan’s ideology vs Hindus’ 33 crore gods In daily Nawa-e-Waqt, columnist Allama Choudhry Asghar Ali Kausar Warriach wrote that intelligent students of Karachi visited Data Darbar to pray for the future of Pakistan. They were invited by Majid Nizami, chairman of the Ideology of Pakistan Foundation (IPF). The president of IPF, Dr Rafiq Ahmad, said that the reason for the creation of Pakistan was that Muslims, who believe in one God, should live separately from the Hindus, who pray before 33 crores of gods. Jihadi butcher kills shrine keeper As reported in daily Express, in Farooqabad the keeper of the darbar Bhoori Wali Sarkar, Ghulam Sarwar, was slaughtered by a butcher, Mohammad Irfan, in front of hundreds of devotees and a police contingent. The culprit said that he is waging jihad against evil, and he wanted to kill Naseebo Lal, who was coming to perform there. He said the keeper of the shrine arranged these gatherings at the shrine and invited women of bad reputation. He also wanted to target cable operators, who are spreading obscenity in every household. Ume Hassan claims 80 corpses were inside Jamia Hafsa As reported in daily Express, the Lal Masjid administration claimed that 80 dead bodies are lying in Jamia Hafsa. Ume Hassan, wife of Maulana Abdul Aziz, told a private TV channel that 30 dead bodies of girl students are lying in Jamia Hafsa and 50 students are lying in Lal Masjid. Omar, a student of Jamia Faridia who was present in Lal Masjid told a private TV channel that there were 300 armed warriors inside the mosque and 1,200 female students inside Jamia Hafsa before the operation. Pakistan style of transition of power In Daily Pakistan, columnist Tanveer Qaisar Shahid wrote that he saw a peaceful transition of power from Tony Blair to Gordon Brown that we can only dream of in Pakistan. In our beloved county we see big fights, allegations and scandals before the transition of power. Ayub Khan was removed by agitated crowds, and Zia ul Haq was removed by fire. Bhutto was removed by a noose, and Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were dragged from office. Historical burqas of Lal Masjid In daily Jang, columnist Nazir Naji wrote that the historical burqa shall be placed in a museum for future generations to remember the golden period when a maulvi of a government mosque occupied illegal property. He turned the mosque into a fortress and then tried to impose his self-styled Islam on the 16 crores of Muslims in Pakistan. They pushed the children of others for martyrdom but tried to escape in a burqa when their time of martyrdom came. Copy of Quran safe inside burnt floor As reported in daily Jang, a picture of the mausoleum of Prophet Mohammad (PTUI PBUH) and a copy of the Quran were saved from the fire that broke out on the fourth floor of the National Assembly. The copy of the Quran was safe inside the drawer of a desk that was completely burned. Cursed billboards of Karachi According to daily Jang, the Chief Minister of Sindh, Arbab Rahim, expressed his grief for the people killed by falling hoardings. He said that it was the wrath of God Almighty, because every advertising company was displaying nude girls on the hoardings for the promotion of their products, which is not according to sharia and Islam in our Islamic society. Blasphemy by Sikh religious leader As reported in daily Nawa-e-Waqt, Indian Punjab’s High Court has granted bail before arrest to Sikh religious leader Baba Gurmait Singh Ram Rahim and ordered him to hand over his passport. The tension between Akali Takht and Dera Sacha Soda arose when Gurmait Singh published an advertisement showing him in the style of the 10th guru, Guru Gobind Singh. Akali Takht said that Gurmait Singh blasphemed against Guru Gobind Singh. 50 percent of imams in England are Pakistani Daily Jang, quoting from BBC report, wrote that only 6 percent of imams of mosques in England have English as their first language. 45 percent of imams have spent less than 5 years in England. 50 percent of the imams are from Pakistan, 20 percent from Bangladesh, and 15 percent from India. 66 percent speak Urdu and 51 percent deliver their Friday sermons in Urdu. Only 23 percent have lived in England for more than 10 years. Burqa couldn’t hide the walk In daily Jang, columnist Nazir Naji wrote that if Abdul Aziz’s escape in a burqa was successful then Ghazi Abdul Rashid would have followed his brother. Before them a bearded friend escaped from the security forces in a burqa. Two security officers got suspicious because the walk of that veiled lady was different. When they removed his veil they found Maulana Abdul Aziz.

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India-Pakistan

Ghazi kept on changing stance till last moment: Tariq Azim

2007-07-11

State Information Minister Tariq Azim has said of the Monday night’s talk between the government and the Lal Masjid Mullahs that despite the government was ready to accommodate most of the cleric’s demands, Ghazi Abdul Rashid kept on changing his stance leaving the government with the only option to assault. He said that after the last negotiations failed and the government left addressing the press conference, Ghazi agreed to release few students as a goodwill gesture but the operation had started by then. “Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain asked Ghazi to release at least 30 to 40 students to show good intention so that he could request the president and the prime minister that negotiations be given more time. Ghazi first agreed to release only two students. Chaudhry Wajhat, the younger brother of Shujaat, asked Ghazi to release just 10 to 12 students, but Ghazi kept stubborn to his stance. Later, after the press conference when the negotiating team reached the Embassy road turn, Ghazi rang them and said he was agreed to release 10 to 12 students. But the operation had started and it was too late,” Azim added. He rejected the clerics’ claim that an agreement reached during the negotiations, and said there were only some proposals discussed and an amended draft of the proposals was made which was not accepted by the clerics.

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India-Pakistan

Govt warned of 'madrassa backlash'

2007-07-09

Wafaqul Madaris, a body of madrassas countrywide, on Sunday warned the government of a backlash from madrassa students and clerics if security forces continued their siege of Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa. Wafaq clerics, headed by Maulana Salimullah Khan, conveyed the warning to Pakistan Muslim League President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in Islamabad on Sunday. The clerics asked the PML chief to tell President General Pervez Musharraf that the Lal Masjid operation should be immediately halted, Qari Hanif Jalhandri of the Wafaq told Daily Times after meeting with Chaudhry Shujaat. He would not elaborate on how madrassas would react if the Lal Masjid operation were not halted. He said that the Wafaq would call a Supreme Council meeting shortly to consider the Lal Masjid operation and the situation arising out of it. Qari Hanif said that the Wafaq demanded amnesty for Lal Masjid deputy chief cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi and militant madrassa students who have been holed up in the mosque for the last six days. “We feel the general amnesty for those inside the mosque and Jamia Hafsa will prevent further loss of lives,” Hanif said. He condemned the takeover of Jamia Faridia, Lal Masjid’s madrassa for boys in E-7, by law enforcement agencies. He said Chaudhry Shujaat had assured the Wafaq delegates that he would communicate their sentiments to the president. Meanwhile, twin city clerics led by Qari Saeedur Rehman and MNA Maulana Shah Abdul Aziz also demanded amnesty for Ghazi Abdul Rashid and his diehard supporters holed up in the mosque.

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India-Pakistan

Security forces dynamite Lal Masjid wall

2007-07-08

Security forces besieging the Lal Masjid late on Saturday blew up part of the wall of the compound, a security official said, AFP reported. There was also an intense exchange of fire before midnight between security forces and militants holed up inside the mosque complex, the official said. “Security forces dynamited the wall to allow people inside to come out if they want to,” he told AFP. People inside the compound who wished to leave risked being shot by hardline students if they attempted to climb the wall, which is seven to eight feet high, he said. Breaching the wall also gave security forces a clearer picture of what was happening, he added. Security forces blew up another section of the wall early Sunday with the deafening blasts heard several kilometres away. “There has been another round of intense firing but there have been no casualties on the security forces’ side,” the official said. An AFP photographer at the scene said heavy firing between the security forces and the militants continued for more than 45 minutes late Saturday with several bullets hitting the walls of several houses. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao warned Ghazi Abdul Rashid to let the hostage children come out otherwise he would be held responsible for any harm to them. A source at the mosque told AFP that one student was killed in the battle lasting around an hour. The official death toll from five days of fighting stands at 19. Staff report adds: Earlier in the day, the security forces increased their presence in Sub-Sector G-6/1 and erected sandbag bunkers in front of the main street after gunshots were fired from a nearby mosque. The incident, which could not be confirmed by independent sources, took place in the morning as the curfew was relaxed from 8:00 to 9:30 am to allow local residents to go to their offices and buy food. Security sources told Daily Times that 13 people had been arrested for violating the curfew in G-6/2. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz chaired a meeting where he directed security forces to exercise restraint to minimise the loss of life. He also formed a three-member committee to supervise the situation.

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India-Pakistan

Minister should be punished under Islamic laws: Lal Masjid

2007-06-13

Lal Masjid authorities on Tuesday demanded the State Minister for Communications Shahid Jamil Qureshi be punished under Islamic laws for allowing a “na mehram” woman to live in his house. The woman is Kafila Siddiqui, a Canadian national who died at the minister’s house here on June 8 under mysterious circumstances. Jamil is currently facing a police probe into the death, the reason for which is yet to be determined. He tendered his resignation to the prime minister on Tuesday. Lal Masjid deputy cleric Ghazi Abdul Rashid told Daily Times that the government should sack the minister instead of accepting his resignation for his involvement in an un-Islamic act. He said the minister had violated the teachings of Islam by keeping a “na mehram” woman at his house, “drinking alcohol with her and torturing her to death”. He demanded the minister be tried under Islamic laws. He said the police would not take any action against a “politically well-connected and wealthy” minister. He offered no comments when asked if the Shariat Court set up at the Lal Masjid would proceed against the minister.

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India-Pakistan

Mullah warns Musharraf of Taliban rise

2007-05-25

ISLAMABAD: Ghazi Abdul Rashid, deputy prayer leader of Lal Masjid, has warned President Pervez Musharraf that a Taliban-style opposition movement is emerging to challenge his already crisis-hit regime. Ghazi said his followers backed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and predicted the political upheaval would further the students’ goal of a pure Islamic state. “If the government tries to suppress the change that our movement is demanding, then there is a likelihood of Talibanisation,” the 43-year-old Ghazi said. “I can see it happening.” “We are not only challenging Musharraf, we are challenging the system,” Ghazi told AFP on Wednesday, speaking inside the Jamia Hafsa madrassa next to the mosque. Bearded men with Kalashnikov rifles stood guard during the interview. “The country’s system has totally failed and needs to be changed because it is not giving any relief to 99 percent of the people,” he added. “We know that if Musharraf goes away, another Musharraf would come. The system we want is Islamic.” Ghazi said the students empathised with Chaudhry. “We have sympathy for the chief justice’s plight, which is because of the system that has allowed Musharraf to do this kind of thing,” said Ghazi. “The man who is meant to give justice to the people is begging for justice himself.” “Pakistan has become more secular since when my father was a cleric at the Lal Masjid,” he said. “This is our reaction. We want to go back.”

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India-Pakistan

Govt bows to Lal Masjid mullahs

2007-05-20

The Lal Masjid administration on Saturday night freed two of the four policemen who were abducted on Friday in return for four men it said had been detained by the police on false charges. The government agreed to release the four men on Monday. Sources told Daily Times that a district administration team led by City Magistrate Farasit Ali Khan told the clerics that only four people – former ISI official Khalid Khawaja, Zainullah, Mehrab Hussain and Arif Mahmood – were in police custody, while the clerics claimed that Muhammad Idrees, Abdul Baseer, Amir, Iftikhar, Anwarul Haq, Israrul Haq and Naqeebullah were also in police detention. The sources said that the government officials told the clerics that they did not know about the seven people and could not ensure their release. The sources said that Lal Masjid’s Ghazi Abdul Rashid told the officials that the other two policemen would remain in captivity until the release of the seven men also on the clerics’ list. As an assurance to the Lal Masjid clerics that their men would be freed, Tariq Abbasi, judge of a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court, accepted the bails of three madrassa students and Khalid Khawaja, who had been booked for burning CDs and video cassettes at Bhara Kahu. The defense counsel also submitted a bail application for another madrassa student, Arif Mahmood. The court will take up the case on May 26. The four men are likely to be released from Adiala Jail tomorrow (Monday). The names of the two freed constables are Muhammad Irshad and Yasir Shah.

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