Wednesday, July 20 2005 17:15 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: Pakistan police arrested over 125 suspected Islamic extremists overnight in a countrywide crackdown on madrassas in the wake of London bombings, amidst violent backlash from hard line groups.

Dozens of clerics and students, including those from seminaries frequented by three Pakistani-origin London bombers, were detained in the swoop across the country.

There are over 30,000 madrassas in Pakistan, which are believed to be breeding ground for Islamic terrorists.

Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao said the action had been taken against people involved in sheltering militants, publishing hate material and making provocative speeches.

The government is ready to face the backlash for action taken against hard line religious organizations and their leaders; he was quoted as saying by Pakistani daily 'Dawn' as police faced violent resistance at several places during raids.

Twenty-three girl students & police personnel wounded

Twenty-three girl students and four police personnel were wounded as hundreds of students clashed with a large contingent of police which came to raid the influential Jamia Hafsa in Islamabad.

Students from different seminaries pelted stones at the police, causing injuries to four police personnel, including two constables of the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS).

The angry activists of the religious seminaries blocked the main Melody Market and chanted slogans against the Government and police.

Traffic on main and adjacent roads around Lal Masjid remained suspended for over four hours.

Heavy police contingents were deployed at the main seminaries and mosques in the federal capital to arrest religious activists allegedly having links to banned militant groups.

Over 30 members of banned militant groups Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Harkat ul Mujahideen and Hizbul Tehrir- were arrested in Punjab, which has over 10,000 seminaries, police said.

"We have made some important arrests," Lahore Police Chief DIG Tariq Saleem said, adding seven offices of the banned groups had been sealed while 20 cases had been registered against the administrators of mosques and seminaries.

As the raids continued leaders and activists of Islamist alliance, Muthahida Majlis Amal, (MMA) too joined the protests against the government action.

Law-enforcement agencies have arrested Mufti Abrar

'The News' in Islamabad as saying that the law-enforcement agencies have arrested Mufti Abrar quoted personal secretary Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, deputy secretary-general of the MMA secretary to MMA Leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

Local newspaper here carried reports of nationwide crackdown in which several middle rung leaders and cadre of the banned outfits including Jaish-e-Muhammad and Harkatul Mujahideen were mentioned but the name of another banned outfit, Lashkar-e-Toyaba was conspicuously absent.

LET extremists prominently figured in the list of seminaries said to be frequented by the three Pakistani origin London bombers.

The raids followed the directive by President Pervez Musharraf to the police to on extremists and banned militants groups following London bomb attacks, fixing December as deadline.

Reports of raids came from Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi and Karachi where scores have been taken into custody.