A police cordon was removed from the Jamia Faridia late on Saturday night and students were allowed to enter the premises one year after it was closed. According to sources, the police were recalled from the men's seminary on the orders of the Interior Ministry. The seminary, spread over 22 kanals, was closed in July 2007 after a military operation against the Lal Masjid. The chief cleric Abdul Aziz was arrested at the conclusion of the operation while his brother Abdul Rashid Ghazi was shot dead. Over 100 people were killed in the operation. The Lal Masjid administration has since been demanding the release of Aziz, the reopening of the Jamia Faridia and the rebuilding of Jamia Hafsa. "A dialogue had been going on between the Islamabad administration and the Lal Masjid management, and they were demanding the opening of the seminary before Ramazan," sources told Daily Times. That way they could get back to throwing their weight around during the holy month.