The police have recorded statements from two family members of Malaysian student Nurul Mohd Fikri Mohd Safar who is currently detained in Pakistan on allegations of involvement in militant activities.

Anti-Internal Security Act (ISA) campaigner Badaruddin Ismail said today the student's father and 16-year-old brother Mohd Khider Mohd Safar had their statements recorded by the Sepang police to facilitate investigations into the recent detention of 13 Malaysian students in Karachi.

Badaruddin also corrected a claim made by the Abolish the Internal Security Act Movement (AIM) on Tuesday that Mohd Khider had been detained by the police here on Sunday.

He said it was the boys' father Mohd Safar who was called in briefly for questioning. Mohd Kider, who was until recently a student at Karachi's University of Islamic Studies, had his statement recorded yesterday.

"The police did not keep them for more than 24 hours. So far, there is still no news of the brother who is in detention in Pakistan," said Badaruddin.

'Future JI leaders'

Malaysians were catapulted into the spotlight once again when the students from Karachi's University of Islamic Studies and Abu Bakar Islamic University were arrested by Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sept 27 for being involved activities against the country's interests.

Of those detained, four have been identified as the sons of ISA detainees presently a serving two-year detention for suspected involvement with the Jemaah Islamiah militant organisation at the Kamunting Detention Camp in Perak.

To date, the government said it had not received any communication from the Pakistani authorities on their findings.

According to Badaruddin, Mohd Khider left for Karachi in January 2001 after graduating from a religious school in Kelantan.

In a short interview filmed by Badaruddin, the 16-year-old student said he had studied for a year at the Maahad Tahfiz Ummul Quro school in Kota Bharu, prior to joining the Karachi university.

He said he returned to Malaysia on Sept 13 this year in order to apply to further his studies in Medina, Saudi Arabia.

Mohd Khider ( photo ) was believed to have been questioned in line with initial findings by the police which allege that the 13 arrested Karachi students were being groomed to take over the leadership of the Jemaah Islamiah.

When contacted, the Sepang district police headquarters could not confirm that the statements were recorded.

Last week, Deputy Home Minister Chor Chee Heung said the police would be investigating the students' family members.