Pakistan madarssa expels sons of Marriott bombing accused

ISLAMABAD: A madarssa in Pakistan's Punjab province has expelled two sons of a fugitive accused of having carried out the deadly Marriott Hotel bombings in 2008 in the national capital.

The militants rammed an explosive-laden truck into the five-star hotel and exploded it, killing more than 50 people.

Mohammad Ashfaq, the accused behind the Marriott attack, had absconded to Afghanistan after the assault.

Ashfaq's sons - 17-year-old Suhaib and 10-year-old Suhail - were expelled from madarssa Abdullah Bin Abbas in Kamalia town, where they were to memorise the Quran, the media said.

Qari Ghulam Rasool of madarssa said he was not aware that they were Ashfaq's sons.

"We came to know about their relations when their maternal uncle Arshad was arrested on Sunday," he said.

Arshad, brother-in-law of Ashfaq, was picked up for his alleged involvement and having links with the perpetrators of Peshawar school massacre, the Express Tribune reported.

In 2008, he had been arrested by intelligence operatives seeking information about fugitive Ashfaq.

Two years ago, his son Suhaib was arrested when he was going to Afghanistan to see him. He was released after six months of interrogation.

Meanwhile, Arshad's mother Sughra Bibi told reporters that she could not even think that her son could be involved in the Peshawar school attack that left 148 people dead, mostly students.

"If it is proved that Arshad had any role in the school attack, I will never allow him to return to my house. I will hand over his son and daughter to people who have no children," she said.