Lahore (AsiaNews) – Pakistani police yesterday arrested 24 activists of the Women's Action Forum who were protesting peacefully against the “talebanisation” of the country undertaken by the students of Jamia Hafsa, the “red madrassa” of Lahore.

This was confirmed by the leaders of the group, which released a statement yesterday evening to condemn what had happened and to call on the government to “explain this gross violation of the human rights of its citizens”.

The statement said the activists “were protesting against the extremism preached by the imams of the Lal Masjid Mosque and put into practice by the Jamia Hafsa madrassa. The manifestation was a peaceful one but the police intervened as if they were dealing with terrorists.”

The group said “it is the soft stand taken by the government with regard to extremists that is creating enormous harm: we are talking about attacks on university students and liberal professors at the Quaid-e-Azam University, and calls to throw acid on the faces of women who do not wear veils.”

To date, added the group, “the government has failed to guarantee the rights of its citizens. It is shameful that Pakistani law and police pay no heed to basic human rights, like the right to peaceful protest or to reject the talebanisation of our society.”

The Jamia Hafsa madrassa became notorious after some of its students raided an alleged house of ill repute in Islamabad, abducted its owner, her sister and young nice, and forced the closure of the building.

A few days later, the madrassa’s director, Maulana Abdul Aziz, asked the government to “enforce Sharia (Islamic) law in Pakistan. Otherwise, it will be applied by all these young people who no longer tolerate the moral decadence imported from the West.”