ISLAMABAD. Oct 9: Despite a warning Saturday from Pakistan's radical Islamic groups. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs government arrested scores of Sunni Muslim militants to combat relentless religious violence in the country, reports AP.

"The government wants to close down madrassas (religious schools) and weaken religious parties to please the Americans.” said Tariq Mahmood Madni. a spokesman for the violent Sipah-e-Shahaba Pakistan, or the Guardians of the Friends of Prophet.

His group has been blamed for many attacks in the last one week against Shiite Muslims, who are reviled by Madni's group as non-Muslims. His group also routinely accuses the United States of working against Islam.

There is an American conspiracy against Jehadi (holy war) groups and religious forces

to prevent an Afghan Talibanlike revolution in this country." said Madni. "But we will resist any attempt to weaken religious parties."

Madni's group is a strong supporter of neighboring Afghanistan's Taliban religious army, which has imposed a harsh brand of Islamic rule in the 90 per cent of the country they rule.

Pakistan however says it has "solid" evidence that religious terrorists, who have killed more than 30 people most of them Shiite Muslims in Pakistan in the last one week, are receiving training In Afghanistan.

Sharif said he wants the training camps closed, a request he has made to the Taliban s reclusive leader Mullah Mohammed Omar. Among those reportedly receiving training in Afghanistan are members of the SSP and Harakat-ul-Mujahedeen, for-

merly called Harakat-ul-Ansar. which was declared a terrorist group by Washington.

"We nave made it clear to the Taliban that this is not acceptable to Pakistan," Sharif said.

Pakistan’s pro-Taliban religious parties say Sharifs statements represent a major shift in Pakistan’s policy toward Afghanistan. Pakistan is one of only three countries to recognize the Taliban government.

Madni said Sharifs statements were hypocritical and that the Pakistan government has sent people for training to Afghanistan. particularly Kashmiri militants fighting neighboring India.

"Pakistan had been sending people to Afghanistan for (military) training to prepare them for Jehad (holy war) in Kashmir." he said.

According to the Punjab provincial government at least 70 people have been arrested In

recent days. Madni said as many as 100 from his group are In jail, many of them arrested in the southern Sindh provincial capital of Karachi, one of the worst hit places.

In a single day 18 people were killed in Karachi, most of them Shiite Muslims.

On Saturday. Urdu-language newspapers ran a government advertisement pleading for tolerance among rival Muslim sects.

"All Muslim sects should work for greater Muslim unity to put an end to terrorism.” said the advertisement.

Iftikhar Naqvi, a leader of the Shiite Muslim group. Tehrik-e-Jafria Pakistan, said repeatedly his group accused Sunni militants of receiving training in Afghanistan.

"If the government is sincere, it should force the closure of terrorist training camps and arrest all the people involved in religious killings,' he said.