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No timeframe for resolution of Jamia Hafsa issue

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The government cannot give any time frame for the resolution of the Jamia Hafsa standoff because of the sensitive nature of the issue, Zafar Iqbal Waraich, state interior minister, told the National Assembly (NA) on Tuesday while responding to a calling attention notice from members.

Waraich told the NA that the Lal Masjid was initially allocated a small plot of 25x40 feet but the administration of the madrassa now illegally occupied 18 kanals of land. He said the clerics were using the female madrassa students as shields during the crisis and the government did not want to take any action that could lead to bloodshed.

Waraich said the government had contacted all the leading clerics of the country to persuade the stubborn administration of the Lal Masjid, but it turned a deaf ear to their requests. He said the government had involved Pakistan Muslim League President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in an attempt to resolve the issue peacefully through talks. Waraich claimed that the talks were heading in a positive direction, but did not give any details of the progress.

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