Selective bombardment of Lal Masjid begins

As the Pakistani military scaled up its offensive on the Lal Masjid through selective bombardment using helicopter gunships to flush out the holed-up militants, deputy administrator of the mosque Abdul Rashid Ghazi offered to surrender unconditionally along with his associates.

The Army resorted to selective bombardment of the mosque and its madrassas damaging their walls and gates by firing mortar shells. Three US-made Cobra helicopter gunships made repeated sorties for surveillance and firing teargas into the complex to force the militants out.

A series of loud blasts and bursts of gunfire were heard around the mosque, triggering speculations that the Pakistani security forces were trying to storm the mosque.

Officials, however, denied any attempts to forcibly enter the mosque.

At least 15 explosions stated to be mortar shells rocked the area in central Islamabad around 0440 IST.

The mortar fire apparently knocked down portions of the wall around the mosque.

The blasts were followed by repeated announcements through loudspeakers by troops asking militants headed by Ghazi to surrender.

Under mounting pressure from Pakistani security forces, Ghazi told Geo TV that he was ready to surrender provided he was allowed to stay temporarily in the mosque to attend to his ailing mother.

Reacting to his offer, Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sharpao said Ghazi should surrender immediately and the government is ready to provide medicare for her.

Sharpao made it clear that Ghazi had to face case like his brother Abdul Aziz, chief administrator of the mosque, who has been charged with terrorism, abduction and illegal possession of arms after his capture while attempting to flee from the madrassa.

Ghazi's offer of surrender as also the arrest of eight hardcore members of Jaish-e-Muhammad militants, who tried to flee from the mosque, raised the prospects of an end to the six-month stand-off between Pakistan government and Aziz.

However, Ghazi became incommunicado soon after making the surrender offer, raising doubts about his intentions amidst speculation that the Pakistani army might be preparing to storm the mosque.

As the authorities made frequent appeals to those holed up in the mosque-cum-seminary to surrender and extended deadlines, Sherpao said about 50 to 60 heavily armed militants were keeping women and children as human shields.

"They have AK-47s, grenades and petrol bombs. They are keeping women and children who want to come out of the mosque," he said.