Talks being held release of Chinese women captives in Pakistan

Jun 23, 2007, 9:07 GMT

Islamabad - Pakistani authorities on Saturday were holding talks for the release of nine people including three Chinese women kidnapped in an overnight raid on a massage centre by hard-line religious students from a mosque in Pakistan's capital.

The abduction of the two Chinese men, three women and four Pakistani men was a recent action by the Islamic students attached to the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, in a nearly five-month long campaign against what they call 'immoral activities.'

'These people were a running prostitution business in the massage centre,' the administration of the mosque said in a statement.

'We do not intend to harm them and our sole objective is to warn them so that they will abandon their illegal trade,' the statement said, adding that the captives would be released in a couple of days.

Police authorities as well as political representatives held several rounds of talks with the students for the release of detainees, as hundreds of Islamists, some armed, guarded the seminary.

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Lou Zhaohui was in contact with Pakistani authorities on the matter. He also spoke with the Chinese captives on telephone.

Islamabad, normally a calm city, began to experience growing militancy in February when female students of the Red Mosque occupied a nearby children's library and demanded the enforcement of Islamic law in the country.

The militants raided an alleged brothel in Marc and held three women for several days in the mosque, followed by the kidnapping of half a dozen police officials.

All the hostages were later exchanged for some students in police custody.

Warnings have also been issued to the owners of audio and video entertainment stores to stop selling 'un-Islamic' goods and women have been ordered not to drive.

The government has so far avoided a security operation against the mosque's radical clerics, who have warned that any such action would trigger suicide attacks across the country.