Fresh application filed against Maulana Aziz

The complainant said such allegations were deliberate attempts to malign the national institution

ISLAMABAD: A fresh application against Maulana Abdul Aziz was filed in Aabpara police station, seeking registration of a case after the Lal Masjid cleric circulated a message containing alleged sectarian hate on his official Facebook page.

The application was filed by civil society activist and Karachi-based journalist Khurram Zaki on Friday. He requested the police to lodge a criminal case against the cleric, after his video message and written statement on official Facebook page of Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa, in which he incited sectarian hatred and violence against Shias in the country.



The complainant requested the police to register a case against him under sections 6 and 8 of ATA and Pakistan Protection Act. Zaki informed the police that the cleric, in his video message, accused an unnamed serving brigadier of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), who allegedly belongs to the Shia sect, of ‘conspiring against him’ and concocting fabricated evidence against him.

Aziz also claimed he was in negotiations with an officer of the premier intelligence agency.

The complainant said that such allegations were deliberate attempts to malign and divide the national institution on sectarian lines. Zaki threatened to start a protest outside the mosque if police did not register a case against the cleric.

Meanwhile, civil society activist Jibran Nasir filed a fresh application against the same cleric for supporting the Islamic State (IS) in the country. In December last year, police had lodged a case against Aziz under Section 506 (II) of the PPC, against criminal intimidation. However, the cleric still eludes arrest.

Station House Officer, Aabpara police station, Muhammad Youaf, told The Express Tribune that both the applications have been forwarded to the legal branch to get the opinion whether police should register a case or not.  He said that police will take a decision following consultation with the legal branch.



When contacted, Abdul Qadir, personal secretary of Maulana Aziz, denied the written statement and video message of Aziz on the official page. He claimed that Aziz’s message was wrongly interpreted by a specific group, which clearly indicates they have a specific agenda against Aziz.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 30^th,  2016.