Students attack music store in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Pro-Taliban students of a radical madrassa attacked a music store and burnt CDs and video cassettes as part of their attempts to impose strict Islamic law in the Pakistani capital.

A group of students belonging to Jamia Farida madrassa, which is run by the clerics of the Lal Masjid, raided the video cassettes shop in Bhara Kahu here and burnt CDs and video cassettes. The Lal Masjid clerics have been trying to impose the Sharia law in the capital.

Burqa-clad girls students of Jamia Hafsa, another madrassa controlled by the Lal Masjid, have also issued a month’s deadline for the music shop owners in the capital to close down, failing which they threatened to attack their shops. Police on the complaint of the locals, arrested three students from the scene and registered an FIR under the Anti-Terrorist Act, while more than 10 others managed to escape.

Media reports here said that a group of students claiming to be Taliban entered Al-Awan video shop and threw and burnt CDs and video cassettes. Later, they shouted slogans in favour of Islamisation and against the rulers, The News quoted eye witnesses as saying. A police officer later said the owner of the shop refused to record any statement.