Defying government orders: Aziz to lead procession today

Cleric to lead Friday prayers at Lal Masjid after talks with govt failed

ISLAMABAD: Maulana Abdul Aziz plans to take out rally on Friday (today) and give a sermon at the Lal Masjid after negotiations between him and the city administration remained inconclusive on Thursday.

A senior official of the city administration told The Express Tribune that negotiations were held in two sessions — first in the office of the ICT Administration and then at Madrassa Jamia Hafsa in Sector G-7/3. However, the talks which continued for over six hours remained inconclusive.

Sources close to Aziz told The Express Tribune that during the meeting, the cleric gave the administration two weeks to fulfill his demands, which include an assurance that the administration will not restrict his movement, not create any hurdles in his campaign of enforcing Shariah, provision of police escort for security, quashing of an FIR registered against him on the complaint of civil society, making public the abduction of his son-in-law who went missing in June last year,

According to the sources, the administration asked the cleric to give them a month to consider his demands. However, Aziz gave them two weeks and insisted he will continue giving sermons at the mosque via telephone. The sources said during the meeting, a senior paramilitary official was also present who played the role of a guarantor.

Interestingly, despite giving two weeks to the government to consider his demands, Aziz made an announcement on social media on Thursday evening that he along with students of Jamia Hafsa will gather at the seminary from where their rally will proceed to Lal Masjid.

In his five-minute video message, Aziz warned that the administration would be held responsible if they try to arrest him. In a veiled threat, the cleric said “If the police try to arrest me, then they should take into account our expected response.”

On November 13, Azzi restarted his campaign to enforce Shariah and gave a sermon at the mosque after a gap of almost one year. However, the administration had issued him a notice and warned him of arrest under sections of the Maintenance of Public Order and Anti-Terrorism Act if he failed to abide by the law.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2015.