Days after Delhi Police issued an advisory on the likely presence of two suspected terrorists, the "suspects" on Monday reportedly refuted the allegation of police in a press conference, from Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Delhi police had issued an advisory that included a photo of two bearded men posing next to a milestone which has ‘Delhi 360 km, Ferozepur 9km’ written on it. (Ferozepur is located on the India-Pakistan border in Punjab.) It said that anyone who spots the suspected "terrorists" should contact Paharganj police station.
However, on Monday, in a bizarre turn of events, the two men shown in the photograph – Muhammad Tayyab and Nadeem – in a press conference claimed themselves to be the students of an Islamic seminary in Faisalabad district of Punjab, Pakistan.
Shahid Aziz, the head of the madrassa where the two men are said to be studying, said that Nadeem and Tayyab had gone to attend an event in Lahore after which they went to see the flag-hoisting ceremony at Wagah Border. There they purportedly snapped pictures, which were later issued along side the advisory by the Delhi police, according to a report in Geo News.
The Pakistani media has been using the press conference to lay a charge that India is raising 'terror bogey' with such incidents.
“We are very specific about not letting our students indulge in any political or religious affairs as long as they are affiliated with our institution,”said Muhammad Zahid, an official from Jamia Islamia Imdadia, the Islamic seminary where the duo in question are said to be studying, according to a report in Express Tribune.
It is pertinent to note that, according to reports, following the Delhi police advisory, security officials had tightened the security of important offices, including the Prime Minister's Office and the defence ministry.
