National inaction plan: Phones down again as Aziz preps next Friday’s sermon
Move came despite mosque admin’s assurance that Aziz would not deliver sermon
Move came despite mosque admin’s assurance that Aziz would not deliver sermon; Nisar tells NA there are no grounds to arrest Aziz.
ISLAMABAD:
The Interior Ministry continues sidestepping issues created by Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Aziz instead of tackling them, which could be seen as a failure to enforce the National Action Plan.
Aziz continues to test the nerves of the government. On Friday, his spokesperson announced that he would personally attend next Friday’s (Dec 25) sermon at Lal Masjid.
“An assurance to city administration that Aziz will not personally visit Lal Masjid for three weeks is concluding on Thursday (December 24),” said Lal Masjid Shuhada Foundation spokesperson Hafiz Ihtisham Ahmad.
The commitment was given on December 2 at the request of administration and in the backdrop of the anniversary of the Army Public School, Peshawar massacre, Ahmad informed.
He said the administration felt Aziz’s presence in the mosque would create a law and order situation and that ‘civil society would take it as an opportunity to condemn the government by holding mass protests’.
A peaceful protest against Aziz was held outside the mosque on the anniversary day. The police allegedly roughed up the protesters.
“We agreed to their demand, but Aziz will be free to address next Friday sermon, the as commitment given to administration will expire before then, Ahmad claimed.
Kill the phones
For the third consecutive Friday, cellular services were suspended in parts of the federal capital, specifically around the mosque, to prevent the cleric from giving a telephonic address to the mosque congregation. The government gave no prior notice to the public on any of those days.
Landlines were not affected.
Service was suspended for nearly two hours, causing problems for residents.
“The [government] created trouble for citizens despite having gotten an assurance from us,” Ahmad said when asked about the phone issue.
When approached for comment, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Dr Syed Ismail Shah said, “The Ministry of Interior would be in a better position to answer this.”
The interior ministry spokesperson asked for some time to respond to The Express Tribune, but did not answer his phone when approached at a later time.
In the NA
Lal Masjid and its radical cleric were also discussed in the lower house of parliament during in its current session, while Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan also brought them up on Friday.
Opposition members on the floor of the House demanded action against Lal Masjid for pledging allegiance to Islamic State (IS).
On the floor of the house, Khan, without naming Aziz said the government requires cause to take action against an individual.
“Action was taken in past,” he said, referring to the 2007 Lal Masjid operation, and questioned the outcome of the operation.
“It’s also responsibility of the government to ensure protection of citizens. There are nearly 25,000 students at religious seminaries in Islamabad alone. I cannot ask the police to take out their guns and kill them all,” Nisar said.
He criticised the previous government for keeping mum over the practice of establishment of seminaries on greenbelts in Islamabad, saying that the current government was not responsible for the mess.
Counterpoint
Later on Friday, columnist and human rights activist, Marvi Sirmed wrote an open letter to the Interior Minister in the backdrop of his statement in National Assembly.
She criticized Nisar’s claim that the government cannot arrest Aziz because is no pending case against him.
She provided copies of two separate FIRs registered by civil society activists against Maulana Aziz in Islamabad and Karachi in December 2014.
“When Dr. Asim Hussain was arrested by the Rangers, there was no case registered against him. You (interior minister) have jurisdiction and the mandate to do it with the killer of our SSG officers,” Sarmad wrote, referring to the soldiers killed in the Lal Masjid operation.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 19th, 2015.
The Interior Ministry continues sidestepping issues created by Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Aziz instead of tackling them, which could be seen as a failure to enforce the National Action Plan.
Aziz continues to test the nerves of the government. On Friday, his spokesperson announced that he would personally attend next Friday’s (Dec 25) sermon at Lal Masjid.
“An assurance to city administration that Aziz will not personally visit Lal Masjid for three weeks is concluding on Thursday (December 24),” said Lal Masjid Shuhada Foundation spokesperson Hafiz Ihtisham Ahmad.
The commitment was given on December 2 at the request of administration and in the backdrop of the anniversary of the Army Public School, Peshawar massacre, Ahmad informed.
He said the administration felt Aziz’s presence in the mosque would create a law and order situation and that ‘civil society would take it as an opportunity to condemn the government by holding mass protests’.
A peaceful protest against Aziz was held outside the mosque on the anniversary day. The police allegedly roughed up the protesters.
“We agreed to their demand, but Aziz will be free to address next Friday sermon, the as commitment given to administration will expire before then, Ahmad claimed.
Kill the phones
For the third consecutive Friday, cellular services were suspended in parts of the federal capital, specifically around the mosque, to prevent the cleric from giving a telephonic address to the mosque congregation. The government gave no prior notice to the public on any of those days.
Landlines were not affected.
Service was suspended for nearly two hours, causing problems for residents.
“The [government] created trouble for citizens despite having gotten an assurance from us,” Ahmad said when asked about the phone issue.
When approached for comment, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Dr Syed Ismail Shah said, “The Ministry of Interior would be in a better position to answer this.”
The interior ministry spokesperson asked for some time to respond to The Express Tribune, but did not answer his phone when approached at a later time.
In the NA
Lal Masjid and its radical cleric were also discussed in the lower house of parliament during in its current session, while Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan also brought them up on Friday.
Opposition members on the floor of the House demanded action against Lal Masjid for pledging allegiance to Islamic State (IS).
On the floor of the house, Khan, without naming Aziz said the government requires cause to take action against an individual.
“Action was taken in past,” he said, referring to the 2007 Lal Masjid operation, and questioned the outcome of the operation.
“It’s also responsibility of the government to ensure protection of citizens. There are nearly 25,000 students at religious seminaries in Islamabad alone. I cannot ask the police to take out their guns and kill them all,” Nisar said.
He criticised the previous government for keeping mum over the practice of establishment of seminaries on greenbelts in Islamabad, saying that the current government was not responsible for the mess.
Counterpoint
Later on Friday, columnist and human rights activist, Marvi Sirmed wrote an open letter to the Interior Minister in the backdrop of his statement in National Assembly.
She criticized Nisar’s claim that the government cannot arrest Aziz because is no pending case against him.
She provided copies of two separate FIRs registered by civil society activists against Maulana Aziz in Islamabad and Karachi in December 2014.
“When Dr. Asim Hussain was arrested by the Rangers, there was no case registered against him. You (interior minister) have jurisdiction and the mandate to do it with the killer of our SSG officers,” Sarmad wrote, referring to the soldiers killed in the Lal Masjid operation.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 19th, 2015.