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Classes begin at ‘new Lal Masjid’

GHALANAI: Local Taliban militants on Wednesday began Islamic education for children at a madrassa they seized adjacent to the shrine of famous Pashtoon freedom fighter Haji Turangzai in the Mohmand tribal region.

A local armed group calling itself Taliban seized the shrine and adjacent mosque and madrassa on July 29 and named it after Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa in Islamabad. “Qari Muhammad Daud has been appointed to teach the children Islamic education and from today he began his work,” Taliban spokesman Usman Gurbaz told Daily Times. The spokesman said there was a “warm response from parents as some 60 children” were present on the inaugural day. “We hope the strength will increase slowly and gradually.”

A Saafi tribe jirga held talks on Tuesday with Taliban leader Umar Khalid and asked the militants to end their siege of the mosque and shrine, but the jirga’s demand was rejected. Gurbaz said around 300 students could be given free accommodation and food at the madrassa. He said that a tribal jirga would be invited to urge tribal parents to send their children for Islamic education at the madrassa.

Meanwhile, the political administration said the Taliban had decreased the number of armed men and removed heavy weapons from the mosque and madrassa following their talks with the Saafi tribe jirga on Tuesday. “The Taliban will vacate the two places gradually,” a official said. However, he could not say if the Taliban would give the mosque its old name back. The emergence of the Taliban in Mohmand has invited media attention, but local authorities banned journalist visiting the Lakharo. Sources said the authorities returned a Geo TV team from Islamabad at the Naki check-post on Wednesday. Journalists were also denied access to the site on Tuesday. mukarram khan

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