Islamabad: The Pakistani military had roped
in several top militant leaders, including one currently in
jail, to negotiate with terrorists who had held dozens of
hostages after an attack on the Army headquarters last week, a
media report said today.
The leaders of banned militant groups were flown to the
garrison city of Rawalpindi on special flights from Lahore,
Bahawalpur and Rahimyar Khan shortly after the terrorists took
over the building following a failed attempt to storm the
General Headquarters on October 10.
Among the militant leaders who were brought in to
negotiate with the terrorists were Malik Ishaq, a jailed
leader of the Sipah-e-Sahaba, Mufti Abdul Rauf, the brother of
Jaish-e-Mohammed leader Masood Azhar, Sipah-e-Sahaba chief
Mohammad Ahmad Ludhianvi and Fazlur Rehman Khalil of the
Jamiat-ul-Ansar, The News daily quoted its sources as saying.
Reports have suggested that the terrorists took nearly
50 hostages in the building, which housed the office of the
Military Intelligence agency. Sources told that several
senior Military Intelligence officials were among them.
Chief military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas has
acknowledged that the terrorists had given a list of over 100
arrested militants from different groups whom they wanted
freed in exchange for the hostages.
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, October 16, 2009, 19:09