The recent arrests of 19 Southeast Asian seminary students in Karachi has sent a tremor through Pakistan's security agencies, and is triggering concerns that these students could be the first trace of a sleeper cell run by the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network.

Since Islamabad sided with the American-led war on terror after Sept. 11, Pakistani security agencies have rounded up around 500 suspected Al Qaeda fugitives mostly from Arab and North African countries. But this is the first time Pakistani authorities have found imprints of the JI, a Southeast Asian extremist group linked to Al Qaeda, on Pakistani soil.

The discovery means that uprooting Islamic terror networks within Pakistan will require investigators to expand their scope beyond Arab militants. It also brings renewed attention to the nation's more than 10,000 madrassahs, or Islamic seminaries - many of which are believed to serve as breeding grounds for extremists.

"It is an eye-opener for the investigators as to how deep rooted the organization of Al Qaeda is," says defense analyst Ikram Sehgal. "Now their goal should be towards finding every possible link to Al Qaeda, whether these [links] are in the shape of Pakistani extremist sympathizers or a militant group from a foreign country."

He adds, "Pakistan has been a hub for the activities of mujahideen from Islamic world in the past."

Pakistani security officials arrested the 19 Indonesian and Malaysian students in raids over the weekend and into Monday night on suspicion that they may have been part of a sleeper cell of the Jemaah Islamiyah, the group accused of masterminding last year's Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people.

Among the arrested students is the Indonesian student Rusman Gunawan, who has been identified as the brother of Hambali, a key Al Qaeda operative accused of being involved in the Bali bombings. Hambali was arrested in Thailand last month and is now reportedly being held by US authorities at an undisclosed location. Sources say the recent arrests followed the interrogation of Hambali, who reportedly had contacts with Al Qaeda's top arrested leaders, Ramzi bin al Shibh and Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, both of whom were arrested in Pakistan.

Pakistan's security officials are now grilling Mr. Gunawan and the other arrested foreign students to uncover alleged links between JI and Al Qaeda and the role of the groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"They are facing interrogation about their intentions and what was their mission here," says Pakistan's interior minister, Faisal Saleh Hayat.

Indonesian and Malaysian diplomats in Pakistan are demanding access to their arrested nationals and are seeking deportation to their home countries. Pakistani officials, however, maintain the arrested men would be thoroughly questioned before considering deportation.

"We want to know whether this group had any terrorist plans up its sleeves and whether they had direct or indirect contacts with Al Qaeda operatives here or abroad," says a security official. "We expect more arrests."

Security officials cautiously say it is too early to conclude Jemaah Islamiyah has a firm foothold in Pakistan, adding the arrested members may have indirect ties with Al Qaeda through members of local jihadi groups.

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