Law enforcement agencies on Sunday raided religious seminaries in the capital, to check for the presence of 'foreigners' there.A police team raided the Jamia Mohammadia mosque and checked the records and particulars of the students enrolled there. Police found no irregularities during the 90-minute operation and no arrests were made.
Police teams also raided madrassas in Bara Kahu, I-8 and Jamia Faridia but found nothing irregular. Police sources said the raids were part of precautionary measures the government was taking to prevent terrorist acts.
The raids come as Interior Minister Rehman Malik announced the government would take strict action against any mosque that allowed any foreigner to serve as a prayer leader.
Also on Sunday, the interior minister visited different markets in the city to examine security measures there. He instructed police to ensure strict security to pre-empt that no terrorist attack could be carried out in the area.
On September 9, the government had informed the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior that it was monitoring the activities of madrassas in Islamabad, as legislators expressed concerns over unregistered seminaries still operating in the federal capital.