Explosions and heavy gunfire stopped politicians from entering a besieged Islamabad mosque today on a mission to persuade a radical cleric to send out children among his hundreds of militant followers.
The five-member delegation of religious conservatives blamed security forces for opening fire, when the cleric had already given them an all-clear to enter the Red Mosque, or Lal Masjid.
Hundreds of troops have besieged the fortified compound housing the mosque and a girls' madrasa since Tuesday when months of tension erupted into clashes.
There were unconfirmed accounts of the mosque's defenders burying more bodies today, but so far the death toll is 20.
Pakistani soldiers take their position on an armoured vehicle near the Red Mosque in Islamabad today Photograph: Reuters
"Security forces are not allowing us to go in and they have opened fire," said member of parliament Samia Raheel Qazi. "Whatever happens now, the government will be responsible."
Mosque cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi, the leader of a Taliban-style movement, has declared he would choose "martyrdom" rather than agree to unconditional surrender, and has rejected government accusations that he is holding women and children as human shields.
In another development, soldiers were deployed in many places, replacing paramilitary troops who have been at the forefront of the siege.
Ghazi said he and the followers would lay down their weapons but would never accept arrest. "I fully stand by my position, there's no question of arrests," Ghazi said today, speaking over the crack of rifle fire. He said three students were killed yesterday.
Smoke and the orange glow of fire rose from the mosque early on Saturday during a heavy exchange of fire. One member of the security forces was killed, said witnesses who saw the body, although authorities denied any casualties.
Water, gas and power to the mosque have been cut and food was said to be getting scarce.
About 1,200 students left the mosque after the clashes began but only a trickle of about 20 came out yesterday, among them a boy who said older students were forcing young ones to stay.
Officials say they don't know how many are left inside, though they put the number of hard-core militants at 50 to 60, while Ghazi has said there are 1,900 students in the compound, and his elder brother, who was captured trying to escape in a burqa in Wednesday, put the number at 850, including 600 females.
Authorities say they have blasted holes in the compound's walls to enable people to flee. Security forces have also occupied another city madrasa affiliated with the Lal Masjid.