Hate speech: Lal Masjid cleric acquitted in hate speech case

Court issues notices to Jibran Nasir, others to decide death threats case

ISLAMABAD: A judicial magistrate, on Monday acquitted Maulana Abdul Aziz of Lal Masjid, on the charge of delivering a hate speech while reserving verdict in another case lodged by civil society members against him.

Aziz, as well as Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) head, Ahmed Ludhianvi, Fazlur Rehman Khalil and eleven others were booked after they addressed a public meeting convened by ASWJ on October 17, 2014, at Aabpara. They were also booked for misuse of loudspeakers.

However, Aziz filed an application in the court of Judicial Magistrate (West) Muhammad Naseeruddin saying the case against him was baseless and requested the court to quash it.

The court after hearing arguments accepted the plea and directed Aabpara SHO to remove Aziz’s name from the FIR.

The court also reserved verdict in another case lodged by civil society members against Aziz. Civil society members including Jibran Nasir, Farzana Bari, Senator Sehar Kamran and others had lodged an FIR against Maulana Aziz while protesting against Peshawar APS massacre in December 2014. Aziz and others were booked for allegedly making  death threats to civil society members as they gathered outside the mosque.

Tariq Asad, counsel for Aziz, had also challenged this case in the court. The court has reserved verdict in the case and issued notices to the complainants including Jibran Nasir directing them to appear before the court on September 28.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27^th, 2016.