Lal Masjid. ILLUSTRATION: ANAM HALEEM
The application, filed by Aziz’s lawyer Advocate Tariq Asad, maintained that Musharraf was a prime suspect in the Lal Masjid operation and is wanted by the government in several cases.
The Lal Masjid commission has also issued notices to Musharraf four times to appear before it, the application stated.
The former president, who ended his self-exile on Sunday, was involved in a number of cases in the courts relating to the assassination of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Benazir Bhutto, the death of baloch tribal head Nawab Akbar Bugti and the incident of the Lal Masjid.
Background
On July 3, 2007, Musharraf had ordered a military operation against the mosque for challenging the writ of the state. The military besieged the mosque for 12 days before assaulting the compound, an attack in which hundreds of students were killed.
The former chief cleric of Lal Masjid was accused of using the mosque loudspeaker to instigate madrassa students to attack the Rangers who were deployed outside the mosque in order to prevent Aziz and his associates at Lal Masjid from continuing their campaign of public intimidation that they had been carrying out since January of that year.
The charges against Aziz also include kidnapping and abduction of Chinese massage therapists as well as hijacking a children’s library in June 2007 as part of his institution’s protest against the demolition of seven mosques in the federal capital.
Last year, an anti-terrorism court acquitted Aziz, and 16 other persons in a case on the killing of a Rangers official
COMMENTS (31)
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All these clerics should be tried in courts ....
@Pakistan First: . Lal masjid clerics were trying to impose their own self righteous agenda
Mush played Kargil and thousands of Pakistani soldiers died. Pakistan even did not acknowledge soldiers sacrifices and even refused to take their dead bodies back. Pakistan governments created and played talibans in Afghanistan killing millions of Afghanis.
Lal Masjid is nothing compared to non-State actors.
Silence! Mullah Burka has spoken!
Kettle calling the pot black!
The operation against Lal Masjid was the dire need of the hour. If no action had been taken by Musharraf, there would have emerged countless such lal masjids eager to take advantage of in the name of Islam. The evit should have been nipped in the bud long ago.
........and I want a red BMW 5 series for my biirthday...........I'll settle for a 3 series as well.
There is no greater sin in Islam, than attackng the House of God! Ibahim(pbuh) was the first to offer the most precious in his life to be allowed to build the first House of God on earth. The rest is pure rhetoic and simply relativising the crime!
Rex Minor
If there is one good thing Musharraf has done, it is the Lal Masjid operation. Even here, if he had done anything wrong, it is that he should have taken the action much more earlier and also should have totally destroyed this terror sanctuary, never to be built back again. Also he should have taken down the cross dressing cleric instead of taking him in. The woman and girls in the compound were neither innocent nor unarmed. They were well armed terrorists and no sympathy should have been shown to them just because they happen to be woman or girls. Many times, woman are far more cruel and evil than men. Just that they are physically weak do not mean that they are less destructive or evil in their thoughts, planning and more importantly, providing support and encouragement to the terrorists than their men folks. If these woman in the Lal Masjid had the same physical strength and terror training, they would have been far more destructive than the men. The more I hear about the so called "innocent woman" in any act of terror, the bitter it sounds and the more I take it with a grain of salt.
Recruiting, training and preparing suicide bombers that you were doing in Lal Masjid, Mr. Aziz. You should be put on trial and put ECL. Mr. Musharraf’s opponents have used you as a ploy against him; otherwise all Pakistan would have known your reality.
I totally supported Pres. Musharraf in combating this menace. Since when are gas masks and Klashnikovs allowed in mosques? Are these for peaceful purposes? I doubt it. The Pakistani media is blatantly biased and pathetically ignorant. They all have their vested interests. If I remember well it was the media which was actually coaxing the state to take action. When action was taken, they ganged up against Musharraf. Shameless hypocrites. We frequently here of innocent children 'murdered' during the operation. Has this been proven? Have they exhumed anybody? Musharraf had his faults, but he did a lot of good for this country. Unfortunately, we are unscrupulous enough to forget all that. Our '18 crore awaam' wants 'democracy'!!
General Musharraf did not ask Bibi Shaheed to come out of the bullet and bomb proof vehicle and get killed so everyone pointing fingers at him should think logically. Lal Masjid is another issue to defame the General, if there were no weopens inside the compound, how 11 SSG commandoes got martyrdom??
@Saleem Murtaza It is stupid to just believe what these very politicians say that innocent girls were killed. People remember that 3 days were given and hundreds of people surrendered to the army and police and they were not harmed but those who CHOSE to stay inside were the terrorists because they knew if they surrendered they would be tried. POLITICIANS as you said adviced against the operation. The very same people who loot and plunder the country and blatantly lie to the people. Are they correct then too? Musharraf was not alone responsible. The entire army high command which still sits in GHQ was also on the decision including our current army chief. Remember this too. and even Benazir Bhutto supported the operation. I still can't believe something so clear as the Lal Masjid incident is being considered wrong. How can we forget the incident when the media was showing what was happening and terrorists had such a holy place like a mosque filled with guns and ammunition.
Every one who is writing here in favor of Musharraf should get up come on the rode to support him. At least a peaceful rally should do (in every big city). This man actually did courageous thing, which gives message "Pakistan first" (I am not a Pakistani).
@Malik Azam:
An excellent presentation on Lal Masjid: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=532744670110150
Whatever happened in LAL Masjid is unforgettebale. However, killing of weaponless innocent girls is the most brutal crime in the Pakistani histroy...
Many politicians advised against any army action but Musharraf did not listen and ordered his mighty military to kill every one like mosquitoes.. that;s a true SHAME !!!
Musharraf and all those responsible must be tried for massacre and " war crimes " for using Phosphorous Bombs. ( banned under internation even during war ).
@ Ali Hassan Watching the footage of Maulana Ghazi Abdur Rashid (late) interview with Gregry Palkot of Fox News on 28th March 2007, one has no other opinion but to support the action ordered by General Musharraf against the clerics of Lal Masjid.The footage of that intreview can be retrieved from You Tube.
Do we still need reasons to demolish terrorist hub like lal mosque. It should be demolished the day when they try to impose their ideology with guns. This extremist cleric should be buried in same mosque.
Well said Ali Hassan, These people have forgotten that it takes two hands to clap.
Come on Molana Saaab ! Mush is not going to escape wearing a veil.
What Musharraf did back than was absolutely justified. How can they (people in Lal Masjid) can think of state with in state. These maulvis has destroyed our coutry just for the sake of their own interest. Beside they were told to put down weapon and come out but they choose to fight. just for the sake of their own self esteem religion has no role here
Dream on...
They should rename their organization as Burqa Brigade!!!
Kill all the extremists
Clerics name qualifies to be on that list too.
Look who is filing the petition...Is he not the same mullah who tried to escape in burqa???
pls ask mr aziz why so many militants and klashnikovs etc were in a mosque? isnt it a desecration of a holy place to put weapons of war and murder there?
The main culprit himself pointing finger on others???
What is the "Lal Masjid Commission" and why should anybody care about what they say? Are all the top people in this commission men dressed in burkas?
Individual groups ideology can not be imposed on people against states consent. This is exactly what was happening in Islamabad back in 2007. Lal masjid clerics were trying to impose their own self righteous agenda despite the face that ppl did not want to buy their ideology. It was the state responsibiity to curb such harrassing groups.