A screengrab showing one of the madrassas that was raided.
The madrassas reportedly belonged to Qazi Hamidullah Khan - a teacher of Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar.
SHOs from 30 police stations headed by the SP raided the seminaries.
The nationality and the names of the foreigners could not be ascertained. The madrassas records are being checked and tallied.
Police said that the arrested suspects were able to speak Urdu but could not speak Pashtu.
The security officers are investigating how and when these foreigners arrived in Pakistan and under which visa. According to the law, if a person is not a Pakistani national, they cannot study in the country without official registration.
COMMENTS (32)
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How many of them could speak Punjabi that should have been reported also. If they are Punjabis they should be able to speak their maaN boli (mother tongue).
@ Why government arrested these people without investigating if they have broken any laws?
Is not it a crime to enter a country without proper documents and reside there illegally?
@Muslim: are you that much stupid .these ''unarmed" poor .weak peace loving violence hating taxpaying "students" have kille d more then 50000 people in last 10 years alone
seriously come on
@Facts: "Then the people having no choice BUT to fight for the right."
by blowing up schools? by slaughtering innocents in suicide blasts? what kind of sick mentality is this?
@muslim
There's no comparison what so ever. Raymond Davis was pardoned by the family members of the victims, and government had nothing to do with it. On the other hand, these people are illegal immigrants and should be deported immediately, or tried under the law if they committed crimes against this country. And stop using that name, "muslim" implying that you're the only muslim among 1 billion people.
@Muslim: These unarmed students become the beast of tomorrow after getting brainwashed in madrassas. They don't kill 2 like raymond davis, but kill in hundreds.
@Feroz: Foreigners coming to Pakistan to study ? In that case why do so many want to go abroad to study ? People can well guess what they are coming to study.
Foreigners come to Pakistan to study "true Islam" and Jihad. Why government arrested these people without investigating if they have broken any laws?
How?? Gov cant see those raymond devis spies but can arrest these unarmed students of the Islamic Seminary!! Wow!! Shame on us @Voice Of D.I.Khan:
Commenters, pls stop furthering ethnic and sectarian divisions by blaming Punjab/KPK or Shias/Sunnis... we are one country, and we will fight the menace of terrorism together! Good job by the police.
Foreigners have been studying in our madrassas for many years now. And not all of them come on legitimate visas. In fact we all know these madrassas have been used for some other purposes also. Good that somebody is waking up to the reality now.
@Facts: Very good lecture. Just wait till some one blows your house or kills your innocent dear ones and puts your comment as his defence.
That's scary since a lot of my family live in Gujranwala but they don't go to these madrassahs... What a shame these people give bad reputation to a place that's meant to give children simple Islamic learning, not how to go bomb people. Ya Allah what is wrong with us!!
@A J Khan: I agree 'very meaningful' if the officials are saying they are foreigners and speak urdu, they may be from India. If so Point of interest who brought them them without any documents?
@Facts narrate the symptoms of arrested development epidemic infesting the national physics. Brainwashed fervent parrots.
@Rana: Don't be emotional. Many terrorist acts have been done in Punjab as well. Not to forget, attack on Sri Lankan Team, Killing of 6 Security persons in Peer Chambal, two attacks on Police training academy in Lahore, Data Darbar attack, attack on GHQ, two assissination attempts on Pervez Musharaf, Benazir Murder, and CM Punjab asking Taliban to spare Punjab, and Rana Sanaullah admitting that Punjab govt are paying monthly stipends to Malik Ishaq out of Baitul Maal fund,,, and,,, and,,,,
A cheap shot by breaking this news in this way to disrespect honorable Mullah Mohammad Umer Mujahid.
But mind this many attacks happened in punjab including attacks on ahmadis and security establishmens.Punjab is full of hate mongering organizations including SSP and Lashkare tayyaba , south punjab is a headquarter of saudis funded militants groups including punjabi TTP. So please dont ignore these facts. @Obaid:
Action like this should have happened over 20 years ago................but better late than never.
@Fact There is no justification what so ever for terrorism. There might be hundreds of things going wrong in the country but that does not justify killing your own people. If people want to bring changes in the system there are so many civilised ways to do that but killing innocent people indiscriminately is wrong. If the system is wrong they need to engage people who responsible for the problems not the ordinary people who themselves are victims of the same system. Can @Fact explain what talibans have archived so far by the killings of thousands of innocent Pakistanies in last few years? The taliban problem will not resolve until people stop justifying them on media.
Let me remind the readers that this same Mullah Hamidullah was the main protagonist behind the Gujranwala Marathon Race farce in 2006 when several people were injured in mayhem caused by mullah who falsely claimed that women were participating naked in the race.
@ The nature of diversity of the nation in terms of faith, culture, believe and society must he respected...
And pray, how do Taliban respect the right of other people to choose their way of life. Why are they killing Shias in Pakistan just as they did in Iraq?
@ Fighting for the right and own soil, faith and believe against the suppressor is the right of the people
Then they should be fighting in Afghanistan. What are they doing in Gujranwala?
@Fact. Keep that distorted history to yourself where you immediately pounce on the faults of others but are not willing to accept the misdeeds of our own people.
Proof of the pudding lies in eating. If the government is serious about law, order and justice, than the police forces should be totally independent of Government and the parliament, the same goes for NAB. In the eyes of the police, any politician or high government official should be no more and no less than an ordinary person. Culture of privileged impunity ought to be nipped in the bud.
In Pakistan these madrasas have became save hideout for the militants because majority of militants have some past association with these madrassas.. These madrassas are indirectly sponsoring terrorist activities in country by provinding students to these militant groups..
@Feroz: Good one.Pak is internationally renowned for its education , that's why hoards of foreigners are coming to pak to get best education.
@ A J Khan
Really. So I guess Malala got shot in the head Punjab, Drone strikes are done in Punjab. Ehsanullah resides in Punjab. Mass jail breaks took place in Lahore.
@Facts: Your long sermon is irrelevant in this case. Go and read other newspapers as well. These people are arrested for their alleged links with the group which accepted the responsibility Chilas incident. Secondly your claim Fighting for the right and own soil, faith and believe against the suppressor is the right of the people. is not right. TTP is not killing US troops but they are killing Pakistanis and it is not jihad.
Foreigners coming to Pakistan to study ? In that case why do so many want to go abroad to study ? People can well guess what they are coming to study.
The first thing terrorism doesn't exist but it has been enforced through well planned propaganda and fake war on terror. Whose were and are so called Taliban; one must not ignore the history and the big, bigger, biggest player’s responsible behind. Justice will be remains prevail. Fighting for the right and own soil, faith and believe against the suppressor is the right of the people. The nation must be considered respectable and their welfare and protection is the preliminary duty of any governing body either democracy or dictators. The nature of diversity of the nation in terms of faith, culture, believe and society must he respected. The use of force against owns people are highly objectionable and dangerous for the state. The term challenging writ of government is totally wrong and against the ground facts. When the justice doesn't exists, when the constitution violated by the army and political parties, when the role of law disrespected by the government, elites and its institutions, when power limited to few hands only, when exploitation of the agreements and provincial rights practices and when the hopes for justice dies and the kid and innocent used by the security establishment and institutions for their agenda. Then the people having no choice BUT to fight for the right.
""Police said that the arrested suspects were able to speak Urdu but could not speak Pashtu."" Very meaningful. Punjabis are still in denial mode about the existence of Punjabi Talibans & that ideological fountain head of terrorism is elsewhere and not in FATA or KPK
Madrassas are the main cause of sectarian violence and terrorism...!!!