Sunday, May 27, 2012

Judiciary, Lal Masjid & Ugly Role of Jang Group/GEO TV.

2007 ISLAMABAD: There is a general misconception that the Lal Masjid clerics who are making the headlines nowadays owe their 'glory' to the blessings of intelligence agencies. The facts tell a different story. It would be interesting to know how Maulana Abdullah, the late father of the Ghazi Brothers 'maneuvered' to get the Khitabat of Lal Masjid and Jamia Faridia. Equally interesting would be to know why masjid and madrasah were respectively named as Lal Masjid and Jamia Faridia. It was the late Field Marshal Ayub Khan, the country's first military ruler, who got appointed late Maulana Abdullah as the prayer leader of Lal Masjid, on the advice of his spiritual guide, Pir Sahib of Deval Sharif. Jaafar Brothers, one of the leading industrialist groups of the country who had constructed Jamia Faridia, in order to show reverence to the great Sufi Saint Khawaja Ghulam Farid named the seminary after him. It was handed over to the Maulanas by the then secretary CBR, Syed Hassan Akhtar. The land for Jamia Faridia was allotted during the late Gen Zia's regime. This was due to the blessing of Pirs that Lal Masjid Maulanas could manage to take over these religious seats. A graduate of Jamia Binnoria, Karachi, late Maulana Abdullah landed in Rawalpindi soon after President Ayub Khan took the decision to shift the capital to Islamabad. He took oath of allegiance to the then Pir of Deval Sharif, Muhammad Abdul Majid. This was a significant move on part of a Deobandi Maulana. REFERENCE: How Ghazi brothers got hold of seminaries by Umar Cheema Sunday, July 08, 2007 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=63643&Cat=6&dt=7/8/2007


The information has been verified by the son of Pir Deval Sharif, Rooh-ul-Husnain Moeen and coordinator of Auqaf Department, Syed Muhammad Ali Wasti who says that many people told his father about the religious school of thought of late Maulana Abdullah, but Pir Sahib gave no importance to the point and considered and treated him like a changed man. Maulana Abdullah served as the prayer leader in the mosque of Pir Sahib and later requested him to exercise his spiritual influence over his disciple, Gen Ayub. Pir Sahib Deval Sharif helped Maulana Abdullah in his appointment as Khateeb of Lal Masjid. The Auqaf Department later took over Lal Masjid, but Maulana's religious dynasty kept on flourishing unhindered. It was during Zia regime that Jamia Faridia was established. As the story goes, a partner of 'Jaafar Brothers' dreamed that he was at the tomb of Khawaja Ghulam Farid and that a river full of water was flowing around. He shared the dream with Syed Akhtar Hassan, the-then secretary CBR, and sought his interpretation of the dream. Akhtar termed the dream as a good omen and advised him to build a seminary and name it after Khawaja Ghulam Farid. Jaafar did accordingly. Akhtar helped him acquire the land from the government of late Gen Zia. Admiral (retd) Muhammad Sharif, whose son-in-law (Sha'aban Shoukat) these days is running a massage center (spa) in Super Market, had then allotted this land. Interestingly, Lal Masjid brigade had raided an alleged prostitution den and then a massage center. However, the massage centre of Sha'aban Shoukat was not touched. Sha'aban was a CBR officer and left the CBR job to start this apparently lucrative business. The CBR secretary handed over the management of the Jamia to Maulana Abdullah and since-then the seminary has been under the command of the family. Why Lal Masjid was so called? Some say that it was named after Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, a highly revered saint of Sindh buried in Sehwan Sharif. This may well have been a ploy of the military government of Ayub Khan to please the people of Sindh who were not at all happy with the shifting of the capital from Karachi to Islamabad. It was most probably due to this reason that its walls were painted with red colour. REFERENCE: How Ghazi brothers got hold of seminaries by Umar Cheema Sunday, July 08, 2007 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=63643&Cat=6&dt=7/8/2007 Thursday, May 24, 2012, Rajab 02, 1433 A.H. http://jang.com.pk/jang/may2012-daily/24-05-2012/u107763.htm


ISLAMABAD: Maulana Abdul Aziz, main cleric of Lal Masjid in Islamabad, on Wednesday tried to escape while posing as the auntie of a group of Talibat accompanying him. The Talibat group resisted when the lady security personnel tried to check Burqa-clad Maulana Aziz. The Talibat told the security personnel that she was "our auntie and very ill", and that she should be spared from checking. However, the lady security personnel insisted on checking and found that a man was wearing a Burqa. They then removed the veil, and arrested Maulana Aziz, who tried to run away. The lady security personnel called their male colleagues for help and foiled the Maulana's attempt to flee. Maulana Aziz was carrying a lady’s handbag stuffed with a lipstick, an ID card of a woman and a diary. REFERENCE: The capture of ‘Auntie’ Aziz our correspondent Thursday, July 05, 2007 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=8839&Cat=13&dt=7/5/2007




Scuffle on Lal Masjid Operation between MQM AND PML-N and bitter Truth: KARACHI, July 10: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has praised the government, President Gen Pervez Musharraf and armed forces, particularly the Special Services Group, for successfully completing the Lal Masjid-Jamia Hafsa operation.In a statement issued from London on Tuesday night, Mr Hussain also appreciated efforts made by ulema for resolving the crisis peacefully. Commending the way the crisis was handled, he said the government demonstrated unprecedented patience over the past four months and tried to resolve the issue through protracted negotiations and peaceful means. However, the government did not receive any positive response from hundreds of armed militants. He said these terrorists had jeopardised national security and integrity of the country and their activities should not be allowed to be repeated anywhere in the country. He offered his heartfelt condolences to families of the army officers and soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country. He also prayed for speedy recovery of those injured in the operation. REFERENCE: Altaf praises army for successful operation By Our Staff Reporter July 11, 2007 Wednesday Jamadi-us-Sani 25, 1428 http://archives.dawn.com/dawnftp/72.249.57.55/dawnftp/2007/07/11/top8.htm 

Maulana Abdul Aziz Ghazi escaped in Burqa - Part - 1


مولانا عبدالعزیز برقعے میں فرار ہوتے ہوئے گرفتار

بیورو رپورٹ
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، اسلام آباد
وقتِ اشاعت: Wednesday, 04 July, 2007, 16:54 GMT 21:54 PST


ISLAMABAD: The spokesman for the Lal Masjid administration, Maulana Abdul Qayum, told The News on Tuesday that suicide bombers of the Lal Masjid had been granted permission to find targets on their own and strike wherever they choose to. “In fact, that has already been done. It was previously decided that if we came under attack, then we will give this permission (to the suicide bombers to strike). So, they have been given permission to strike anywhere at any time,” Maulana Abdul Qayum told The News late on Tuesday from Lal Masjid. He said that at first the Lal Masjid administration had demanded that these people (Rangers) should go away from here. “We said that they should be evacuated from here. We demanded that these buildings (where Rangers have taken up positions) should be vacated and they should go back. We said that once they go back, we would control our Taliban. But they (the government) did not agree to all this,” he claimed. Maulana Abdul Qayum said that the situation had become critical. “Fifteen of our Taliban and two Talibat have been martyred and 60 to 70 others have been injured. Still the firing from their side is continuing. They are also firing tear gas shells,” he claimed. To a question, he said the Lal Masjid Taliban and Talibat were only defending themselves. “We have not started all this. They brought these Rangers and made them sit on our heads. They imposed all this on us. They have to stop firing. From our side, it has been already stopped,” he said. About the peace move initiated by Maulana Shah Abdul Aziz, he said the MNA from Karak negotiated with the government and announced that an agreement had been reached for a ceasefire. “But, on the other hand, the government continued to fire on us. The MNA talked with the chief commissioner but these soldiers were not accepting it and continued to fire.” He said he could not tell what would happen in the future. “We don’t know what is going to happen. We have already announced that our campaign is peaceful and we want to work peacefully. They brought these Rangers and they were preparing for so many days. So, it is up to them if they want to bring peace back,” he said. REFERENCE: ‘Suicide bombers given go-ahead’ Mobarik A Virk Wednesday, July 04, 2007 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=8818&Cat=13&dt=7/4/2007


Maulana Abdul Aziz Ghazi escaped in Burqa - Part - 2


مولانا عبدالعزیز برقعے میں فرار ہوتے ہوئے گرفتار


بیورو رپورٹ
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، اسلام آباد
وقتِ اشاعت: Wednesday, 04 July, 2007, 16:54 GMT 21:54 PST
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/story/2007/07/070704_lalmasjid_updated_sq.shtml



ISLAMABAD: Cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi is injecting fear of inhuman treatment in minds of innocent students presently inside the mosque and thus trying to stop them from going outside. The inordinate delay in recovery of their children is unnerving the worried parents. Alleged inhuman treatment of Maulana Aziz and arrested students in front of Lal Masjid on Thursday sent a wrong message to those who were bound inside the mosque and waned to quit. A student, Aftab, in the Lal Masjid told The News on the phone that some students wanted to leave the Lal Masjid, but they were afraid of harsh treatment by police after being arrested. He said that students who wanted to leave the Lal Masjid also feared firing from Rangers while exiting from the Lal Masjid. Aftab said students had been receiving news of the severe torture of arrested students since Thursday in Adyala Jail. The hostage students in the Lal Masjid were well in contact with the outside world, especially media through mobile phones. Rukhsana Bibi from Chakwal, aunt of Amir Shehzad, a hostage student in the Lal Maskid, was present with her other family members at the surrender point, Covered Market G-6/3. She disclosed that her nephew was ready to come out of the Lal Masjid, but he feared firing from the Rangers on exiting from the mosque. Amir's brother, Thair, was also present at the venue. He said, "We have convoyed Amir's fears to an Rangers officer present there. The Rangers official himself called Amir Shehzad and assured him that Rangers will not open fire if he or his companions come out of the Lal Masjid." Amir's brother, Tahir, further said that he with some of his relatives went inside the mosque to bring Amir out. He said that when they reached inside the mosque and were convincing Amir to accompany them, some clerics opened fire on the wall near them. "We have to rush from the mosque, leaving Amir inside," he added. Tahir said that at the last moment Amir feared torture from police at the door of the mosque while exiting the Lal Masjid. He said they informed Amir that authorities have promised them not to torn Qameez of any student while arresting them on Friday. But, he added, they were forced to leave the mosque at the start of firing from the hostage clerics. Tahir also managed to call Amir and let him talk to this correspondent. Amir disclosed that many innocent students inside the Lal Masjid want to leave the place. Besides the reasons of fear of torture and inhuman treatment, he revealed that many of these students are hesitant to get out of the mosque as they feel that it will belittle them and show them as coward. He said that all these students are innocent and the government should do something for them. REFERENCE: Ghazi ‘stopping’ students from leaving Lal Masjid Ahmad Noorani Saturday, July 07, 2007 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=8884&Cat=13&dt=7/7/2007

Maulana Abdul Aziz Ghazi escaped in Burqa - Part - 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeKb46f9sx0


مولانا عبدالعزیز برقعے میں فرار ہوتے ہوئے گرفتار

بیورو رپورٹ
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، اسلام آباد
وقتِ اشاعت: Wednesday, 04 July, 2007, 16:54 GMT 21:54 PST



ISLAMABAD: The aborted attempt of Maulana Abdul Aziz to flee Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa leaving behind hundreds of his followers trapped inside left many parents still desperate about their near and dear ones’ safety jilted and shocked. Braving hot and humid weather outside the area, under curfew for the third consecutive day, several parents, brothers and uncles of those still inside the two buildings, appeared depressed on learning about the mode the top cleric adopted Wednesday night. Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman described the wearing of burqa by Abdul Aziz as a shameful act. “This is unbelievable. My two cousins who have made up their mind to die fighting the security forces, were rattled to learn about Maulana Abdul Aziz story,” said Saeed Khan, who had come from Attock in support of the cleric. He quoted his cousin as telling him that what the top cleric did, was his own decision and would be held accountable for it, but he appeared bent upon laying down his life instead of surrender.

However, the news of Abdul Aziz’s burqa attempt changed his mind altogether and now he was worried about the safety of his cousins, Zubair Ali and Umer Farooq. Saeed in his late 20s on Tuesday, managed to provide some cash and mobile phone cards to Zubair and later, tried to persuade him Thursday to surrender, but his arguments failed to impress the hardened youth, an 18-year-old, who was learning the Holy Quran by heart at Lal Masjid. He said that according to his cousin, in the skirmishes in the late afternoon, about 50 persons had been killed in the mosque. Tahir Nawaz, 15, who hails from Murree, had surrendered a day earlier and was here to know about the well-being of his friends. The visibly confused Tahir said that there were still around 30-35 children between 7 and 12 years trapped inside the mosque building. Khalid Majeed was keen to take back his teen-aged cousin Mohammad Shah, who according to him, was willing to come out of the mosque, till Wednesday, but could not. “I don’t know why he could not manage to come out at a time when hundreds of others did so. His mobile is also silent now since morning,” Majeed maintained. Khalilur Rehman, who had come on Tuesday from Mardan to take back his either-year-old son, blamed media for what he alleged, their conspiracy to defame Abdul Aziz. He argued that it was next to impossible for the cleric to go for such a shabby move, when it was pointed out that the media flashed his image of wearing burqa. However, his comments astonished many present on the occasion. REFERENCE: Maulana Aziz’s act leaves followers shocked Friday, July 06, 2007 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=63381&Cat=6&dt=7/6/2007

Maulana Abdul Aziz Ghazi escaped in Burqa - Part - 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fRH_HcrD9k


مولانا عبدالعزیز برقعے میں فرار ہوتے ہوئے گرفتار

بیورو رپورٹ
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، اسلام آباد
وقتِ اشاعت: Wednesday, 04 July, 2007, 16:54 GMT 21:54 PST



ISLAMABAD: Captured Maulana Abdul Aziz has said that he was the father figure of the institutions while Abdul Rashid Ghazi was real administrator of the Lal Masjid and was used to devise strategies to build pressure on government authorities, an official quoted Maulana Aziz as telling the team of investigators during questioning. “My brother Rashid Ghazi and wife Umme Hassaan used to make raiding plans on the massage centers, brothel houses and other un-Islamic businesses being run in the federal capital, while my daughters Tayyaba Dua alias Hamna Abdullah and Asma Dua took practical part in the raids,” Maulana Aziz said. “Tayyaba and Asma were commanding the raiding party that kidnapped Aunty Shamim with her daughter, daughter-in-law and granddaughter and nine people including seven Chinese and two Pakistanis during a raid on Chinese Massage Center in F-8/3,” he said. The official of an investigation agency said that Rs 242,000 and 20 Saudi Riyals were recovered from the custody of Maulana Aziz when he was arrested while trying to escape on Wednesday night. The sources said that Maulana Aziz disclosed the identity of his ‘friends’ relating to some banned militant groups. REFERENCE: Ghazi planned raids to pressurise govt: Maulana Aziz our correspondent Saturday, July 07, 2007 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=8874&Cat=13&dt=7/7/2007



KARACHI, April 15: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Sunday staged a massive rally in the city against what it called the threat of ‘Kalashnikov Sharia’ of Islamabad’s Lal Masjid clerics and asserted that Islam did not allow enforcement of Sharia by force and Pakistan had not been created to be turned into a theological state. In a telephonic address from London, party chief Altaf Hussain quoted profusely from the Holy Quran and Hadith to substantiate his attack on religious extremism. He said that extremists were defaming Islam and maligning the name of Pakistan and because of their acts of violence and terrorism, India, Afghanistan and other countries were describing Pakistan as a sanctuary of terrorists. He described the scholars supporting the Sharia of Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa as “Ulema-i-Sou” and said they were misleading the country and the people. The venue of the rally was the vast expanse of M.A. Jinnah Road from the Square of the Quaid’s Mausoleum to the Tibet Centre pedestrian bridge, jampacked by people who had come from all parts of the city and the interior of Sindh. Mr Hussain spoke for more than one and a half hours, during which two helicopters were seen hovering over the area. Referring to Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa, the MQM chief alleged that the mosque and the Jamia, built on encroached land, had been occupied by armed terrorists and because of their actions the world was pointing fingers at Pakistan. “For God’s sake don’t destroy Pakistan,” he said and termed the rally a referendum against the ‘Kalashnikov Sharia’. He said Ulema from different schools of thought had ruled that the enforcement of Sharia by force was against Islam. He cited the Quaid’s speech of August 11, 1947 about equality of all citizens of Pakistan, whether Muslims, Christian, Parsi or of any other faith, and freedom for all of them to go to and offer prayers in their places of worship. He said the rally demanded that Ulema should issue a Fatwa if construction of a mosque or a religious seminary on an encroached and illegally occupied land was justified? Some Ulema belonging to different schools of thought, who were present at the rally, said it was illegal and that offering prayers or getting religious education in such mosques and seminaries was not allowed. They pointed out that Masjid-i-Nabavi, which was the first mosque built in Madina by Prophet Muhammad (SAW), was built only after the land had been purchased by the Prophet (SAW). Allama Aun Mohammad Naqvi (Fiqah-i-Jafria), Dr Abdul Khaliq Pirzada (Barelvi school of thought) and Amir Abdullah Farooqui (Ahl-i-Hadith) came to the podium and said offering prayers in a mosque built on an encroached plot of land was against Sharia. The MQM chief appealed to Ulema, intellectuals, women’s organisations and moderate, enlightened and liberal sections of the society to raise their voices against and expose the “Ulema-i-Sou” who were calling for demolition of girls’ schools and wanted to deprive women and children of their right to get education. He said the right had been given to women by our Prophet (SAW) who had declared the acquiring of education an obligation of every man and woman. The Muslims, he added, would not be able to catch up with developed nations if they did not get modern education. He said the MQM was against the “Ulema-i-Sou” who were using the name of Islam to advance their vested interests. “Let us pledge today that we won’t be fooled by these people using the name of Islam for achieving their political objectives,” he said and urged the people to maintain sectarian harmony. “We want to make Pakistan a peaceful, democratic, welfare and liberal state.” Mr Hussain said his party would support Ulema who would raise voice against extremists. REFERENCE: Massive rally against ‘Lal Masjid Sharia’ By Habib Khan Ghori http://archives.dawn.com/2007/04/16/top2.htm

Kamran Khan (GEO TV/Jang Group) Supported Lal Masjid Operation (ARY/GEO 2007)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeUkxFEsc4I


مولانا عبدالعزیز برقعے میں فرار ہوتے ہوئے گرفتار

بیورو رپورٹ
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، اسلام آباد
وقتِ اشاعت: Wednesday, 04 July, 2007, 16:54 GMT 21:54 PST



ISLAMABAD: As a student, teachers said he showed no signs of Islamic militancy. Now Pakistani cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi sleeps with a Kalashnikov by his bed and has vowed to die in his besieged mosque. Ghazi’s early schooling was at a boys-only Islamic seminary but he never opted for the madrassa lifestyle until the murder of his father in 1998 turned his life upside down. “He was a normal, moderate student who was well adjusted to a co-educational system,” Naim Qureshi, Ghazi’s teacher at the history department of Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad, told AFP. Ghazi did his Masters in History in 1987-88, and a photo of him and his colleagues still hangs on the department’s wall. “In studies he was okay but I don’t remember his grades. I remember that he had a normal beard,” he said, comparing it with the bushy, grey, Islamist-style beard that Ghazi now sports. His teacher said there was little sign of militancy back then. “People do change their lifestyle, after all it’s 20 years on now, but it did surprise me,” Qureshi said. Ghazi later married into a moderate family and lived a relatively westernised life. He worked with UNESCO. “Ghazi used to share jokes, often spoke in English, moved in mixed company and was an active student,” said a university friend who asked not to be named. His father, Maulana Abdullah, who headed the mosque, was so angry at his lifestyle that he handed over his property to his brother. But Ghazi was not unhappy, the friend said. However, he completely changed after a lone gunman shot his father dead inside the mosque. Ghazi joined his brother, who took over the mosque in 1998 and nominated him as his deputy. Security sources said he had close links with pro-Taliban militants and agitated against President Pervez Musharraf’s decision to back the US-led invasion of Afghanistan. Colleagues said that in 2004 he survived an attempt on his life and since then had always carried a Kalashinkov with him. “You always find an AK-47 in his car, with him in the madrassa and even at his bedside,” one colleague said. REFERENCE: Moderate-turned-militant with Kalashnikov at his bedside Sunday, July 08, 2007 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=63644&Cat=6&dt=7/8/2007


KARACHI, May 2: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has blamed “religious extremists” of Lal Masjid, Jamia Hafsa and Jamia Fareedia for the suicide attack in Charsadda, saying they had threatened to carry out suicide attacks across the country. According to an MQM press release, Mr Hussain called Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao on Wednesday and assured him of his party’s cooperation in efforts by the government to eradicate the menace of extremism and terrorism from the country. Without naming the Pakistan Muslim League and its president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, the MQM leader criticised the top leadership of the ruling party and said that instead of taking action against those threatening to carry out suicide attacks, they were supporting these fanatics and trying to prove them innocent. One section of the ruling party, he said, was openly supporting the extremists. REFERENCE: Altaf blames Lal Masjid for Charsadda suicide blast By Our Staff Reporter May 03, 2007 Thursday Rabi-us-Sani 15, 1428 http://archives.dawn.com/dawnftp/72.249.57.55/dawnftp/2007/05/03/top14.htm


Hamid Mir & GEO TV Supported Lal Masjid Operation. (Dunya TV 15 Feb 2011)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTkrOW0krd4


مولانا عبدالعزیز برقعے میں فرار ہوتے ہوئے گرفتار

بیورو رپورٹ
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، اسلام آباد
وقتِ اشاعت: Wednesday, 04 July, 2007, 16:54 GMT 21:54 PST



BEIJING: China voiced support on Thursday for a crackdown by the government on Lal Masjid, where armed militants have exchanged gun fire with police. “As a friendly neighbour of Pakistan, China backs Pakistan’s measures to safeguard social stability and economic development,” foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said, while replying to a question on Lal Masjid by the local media at regular press briefing here on Thursday. Last month, students from the mosque were involved in the brief kidnapping of seven Chinese people who were working in an Islamabad acupuncture clinic. China has refused to comment on the prostitution allegations against the Chinese, saying only that the seven were operating a business that had all the necessary legal licences. Meanwhile, the United States on Thursday noted that the government of Pakistan had shown exceptional restraint in dealing with the situation vis-a-vis Lal Masjid and expressed the hoped for a peaceful resolution of the standoff. “We regard this as a domestic security issue for the government of Pakistan. We are following the situation closely and hope for a peaceful resolution to this affair,” a State Department official said. When asked to comment on recent developments with regard to months-old standoff, the US official acknowledged that the Pakistani government has shown exceptional restraint in dealing with the situation. “The government of Pakistan has demonstrated exceptional restraint in dealing with this situation to date.” The official expressed the hope that “those who continue to resist will choose to cooperate and seek ways to peacefully express their convictions, so that further violence can be avoided.” Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown telephoned President Pervez Musharraf on Thursday to praise his efforts to curb militancy and terrorism, a senior Pakistani official said. It was Brown’s first contact with the president. “The British prime minister appreciated President Musharraf’s key role in the fight against militancy and terrorism and promised to maintain close ties between the two countries,” the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. The two leaders also discussed “long-standing bilateral ties between the two allies and agreed to further strengthen them,” he said. Brown’s contact with Musharraf came as Pakistani security forces were battling to dislodge militants still holed up in Lal Masjid. Sources said the mosque crisis also came up in the discussion between the two leaders, though the official would not confirm or deny it. REFERENCE: China, US back crackdown Friday, July 06, 2007 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=8854&Cat=13&dt=7/6/2007



KARACHI, April 26: Students of religious seminaries here on Thursday staged their first rally in support of the demands of Jamia Hafsa and Lal Masjid of Islamabad. Besides other clerics, Maulana Abdul Aziz, Khatib of the Lal Masjid, and Ghazi Abdul Rashid, administrator of the Jamia, spoke to the rally by the telephone. The participants of the rally, organised under the banners of `Tehreek Talaba-o-Talibat, Karachi chapter’, at the Karachi Press Club, were holding placards inscribed with slogans in support of Jamia Hafsa and Lal Masjid. Some of the slogans read: `Shariat or Shahadat’, `The present system is obscenity system,’ etc. Maulana Abdul Aziz said Pakistan was created in the name of Islam for which millions of Muslims had laid down their lives. But despite waiting for the last 60 years for the enforcement of the Islamic system in the country, it was not done. “We paid our full attention to education and propagation of Islam as education and propagation are also a source of spreading Islam, but the best way is Jihad,” he said. Pointing out that today infidels, the corrupt, oppressors and tyrants were free to move about at will but noblemen were hiding their faces. However, he said, “despite our weakness, we the Talaba and Talibat have decided to face the challenge. We know very well that this path is troublesome, but we are determined not to end the occupation of the children’s library until the Islamic system is enforced in the country “Either we will succeed in achieving our objective or embrace martyrdom as we are not afraid of laying down our lives for the enforcement of the Islamic system in the country”, he said and added that they were the guards of the sisters and mothers but not against anyone . “Our Jihad is against the oppressors, tyrants and the corrupt. We are not afraid of prisons either,” he said and asked people to persuade those running obscenity dens and video centres to close them down. Instead of forcing them to close their dens they should be approached with logic, he said. Maulan Aziz said that in the first phase they wanted to eliminate obscenity and immorality dens to be followed by a struggle against adulteration, bribery and poverty. Ghazi Abdul Rashid criticised MQM chief Altaf Hussain “who had started politics of extortion and body bags”. Blaming him for the killing of many religious scholars and the Nishtar Park tragedy, he said it was deplorable that now he was taking out rallies against them and asking people to issue Fatwas whether offering prayers in Jamia Hafsa was right. He did not know, the cleric said, that Jamia Hafsa was not a mosque but an educational institution where prayer was not offered but education was imparted. He said that it was the right time for the enforcement of the Sharia in the country, “otherwise history will not forgive us.”Mufti Usman Yar Khan of the JUI-S said that time had come that Islam-loving people rose to enforce Islam in the country achieved in the name of Islam. He paid tribute to Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry for taking a stand “against a tyrant”. He also criticised the government for the detention of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan and termed it a shameful act. The others who spoke at the rally included Maulana Noorul Huda, Maulana Hafeez-ur-Rehman and Maulana Noorul Haq. On the occasion, over a dozen resolutions were also presented in support of the enforcement of the Islamic system. By one of the resolution the rally termed the movement for the enforcement of Sharia beginning at Jamia Hafsa and Lal Masjid as the voice of every Pakistani. By another resolution it demanded a halt to “false and baseless propaganda against students of Jmaia Hafsa as none of them had thrown acid on nor had stopped anyone from driving cars. REFERENCE: KARACHI: Lal Masjid clerics vow to enforce Sharia By Our Staff Reporter April 27, 2007 Friday Rabi-us-Sani 09, 1428 http://archives.dawn.com/2007/04/27/local7.htm
musharaf lal masjid


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjXdYY0t2VQ


مولانا عبدالعزیز برقعے میں فرار ہوتے ہوئے گرفتار

بیورو رپورٹ
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، اسلام آباد
وقتِ اشاعت: Wednesday, 04 July, 2007, 16:54 GMT 21:54 PST



ISLAMABAD: The siege of Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa would continue till the surrender of Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi and all those 'militants' unconditionally before the law enforcing agencies, said Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on Thursday. "There will be no dialogue with Ghazi Abdul Rashid and only option before them to surrender unconditionally before the law enforcing agencies," he said while addressing a press conference here Thursday. He was accompanied by Minister of State for Interior Zafar Iqbal Warriach and Secretary Interior Syed Kamal Shah. He said there are reports that some 50 to 60 'hardcore militants' present in Lal Masjid with lethal weapons and petrol bombs and make hostage children and female students who wanted to leave Lal Masjid with their parents. "Ghazi Abdul Rashid was using children and female students inside Lal Masjid as human shield," he added. When asked about the presence of militants of Uzbek origin inside Lal Masjid, he said they have no such information in this regard yet. However, when asked about the reports of presence of militants of banned outfit of Maulana Azhar Masood in Lal Masjid with Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi, he also showed his ignorance on such reports saying: "We have no information about presence of any militant of banned outfit of Maulana Azhar." Updating the newsmen on the Operation Silence, he said so far 1,146 including 745 male and 401 female students have surrendered before the security forces while another group of 38 students surrendered Thursday evening. He confirmed that 19 people were killed in clashes between the forces and the students of Lal Masjid so far. To a question about the lifting of the curfew in G-6 sector, he said the curfew will continue till the completion of the operation. "However, the relaxation time will be enhanced but it depends upon the improvement of the situation," he added. He said curfew was lifted in G-6 sector for two hours to provide relief to the people, adding the government had also provided transport facilities to the residents to purchase necessary items. He said, besides, mobile utility store vans were also plying in the sector to provide edibles and other necessary items to the people. He said the government has decided to issue special passes for government employees who reside in G-6 area to reach on their duties. When asked about the meeting chaired by President General Pervez Musharraf to review the situation, he said the president directed the law enforcement agencies to continue with their strategy of restrain and complete the operation with minimum loss of lives. In a reply to a question, he said Maulana Abdul Aziz was sent on seven days judicial remand and his daughter on seven-day judicial lockup. APP adds: Sherpao said that there is no need for talks with administrators of Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa at a time when the operation has entered in a decisive stage. The only option with the clerics and students is to surrender before the authorities, the minister told state-run TV. He said that following the arrest of Maulana Abdul Aziz there remains no reasons with his remaining followers to continue with their unlawful activity. Maulana Abdul Aziz who was a key figure in all the situation has not only surrendered but has also urged his brother and other colleagues to quit their resistance, he said adding, hopefully they would do the same. He said the law enforcers have handled all the situation with wisdom and minimum life losses have occurred so far. To a question he said that only one female student has lost her life while another was wounded. He said that vis-a-vis the presence of heavy weapons inside the seminary, it was a sensitive issue because a hasty action could have resulted in heavy casualties. That is why the law enforcing agencies have been showing maximum restraint and patience, he added. REFERENCE: Ghazi using children as human shield: Sherpao Friday, July 06, 2007 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=63378&Cat=6&dt=7/6/2007



ISLAMABAD: Acting head of banned Jihadi outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad has confirmed the presence of its Jihadi veterans in Lal Masjid, however, terming them as the outfit’s ‘disgruntled elements’. He said Lal Masjid brigade was propagating the impression of mustering support from Jihadi veterans, just to scare the government so as to avoid any action against them. Mufti Abdul Rauf—the younger brother of Maulana Masood Azhar— has also announced to distance his outfit from Ghazi brothers and said they brought huge embarrassment for Islamists, a dramatic U-turn that Jaish took on the second day of the operation. Rauf termed Masjid’s top clerics as ‘lackeys’ of the government, held them responsible for the killings that took place during the exchange of fire and demanded of bringing them to justice. He has accused the government of patronizing Lal Majid clerics and said they accumulated heavy weapons with the connivance of authorities. Mufti Abdul Rauf alleged that the government has been patronizing the likes of Ghazi brothers in order to distort the image of Islam and condemned the cowardly act of burqa-worn Maulana Abdul Aziz and said it put them under huge embarrassment. Coincidentally, Jaish has withdrawn support after the government turned all its guns towards Ghazi brothers. Earlier Jaish had been reiterating its firm support to Lal Masjid’ act of Shariah’s enforcement and said it had all the best wishes for them. Rauf, according to his spokesman, has disassociated himself from Lal Masjid brigade and said that Jihadi veterans, who joined the ranks of Ghazi brothers, are actually the ‘disgruntled’ elements of Jaish. “Our disgruntled people have joined them,” his spokesperson quoted Mufti Rauf as saying and denied the reports of their armed support to the clerics-under-fire. The News has already published a report about the presence of Jaish people in Lal Masjid. President Musharraf also disclosed in recent past that over 200 Jaish men had joined the ranks of Lal Masjid. Speaking on behalf of Mufti Rauf, his spokesman Ismail Hamza said that it was their disgruntled elements that joined Lal Masjid brigade and that they had no more affiliation with Jaish Muhammad. REFERENCE: Jaish leader distances himself from Ghazi brothers Friday, July 06, 2007 http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=63380&Cat=6&dt=7/6/2007



This correspondent has seen a letter of appreciation written by Yaldeshiv, shown by Rasheed, when the Lal Masjid issued a religious edict in 2004 that any Pakistani soldier killed in the South Waziristan tribal area did not deserve Muslim funeral prayers or burial in a Muslim graveyard. The letter was later endorsed by more than 500 scholars and became one of the main reasons for defiance in the Pakistan Army during military operations in South Waziristan. Lal Masjid was also the main site for Pakistani militants to visit, which landed the brothers in serious trouble in 2004 when the government accused them of being partners in a conspiracy to carry out major terror operations in Islamabad. The connection was Rasheed's car, which was apparently used by one Usman, who had been arrested in connection with sabotage activities in the capital. The government wanted the brothers arrested, but then-federal minister for religious affairs and son of former president Zia Ejaz ul-Haq, who was very close to the brothers, intervened. He became guarantor on behalf of the state that if Rasheed surrendered for interrogations to an intelligence agency of the armed forces and if no evidence came out, he would be cleared of all charges. "Before going into custody I made it clear to Ejaz ul-Haq that I had met everybody, including Osama, [Taliban leader] Mullah Omar [and] Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri and that many wanted figures did come to Lal Masjid because it is a mosque and anybody can come to this place. So any evidence of terror should be other than that. Ejaz ul-Haq agreed, and then I was handed over to intelligence," Rasheed told Asia Times Online in a recent interview. REFERENCE: Pakistan: Trouble in the mosque By Syed Saleem Shahzad South Asia Apr 12, 2007 http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/ID12Df04.html
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/ID12Df03.html




The federal religious affairs minister, Ijaz ul Haq, repeated his view on a private TV channel on September 9, that there was no evidence that the madrassas were involved in terrorism. He said a mistake was made in Pakistan, and outside, in associating the banned jihadi-terrorist organisations with the madrassas. He said the Uzbeks in South Waziristan were the people who came as the vanguard of the Soviet troops to fight the 1979-88 Afghan war, but went back to Uzbekistan to demand their rights from “the worst dictator in the world”, President Karimov of Uzbekistan. They were savagely treated and pushed into Afghanistan where the Taliban gave them asylum. They took no part, he said, in the war against America but had to flee to Pakistan after 9/11. (This is the most hypocritically disingenuous account of the movement of Qari Tahir Yuldashev that one has ever heard. It also contradicts the position taken by Lt-General Safdar Hussain, the Peshawar corps commander, on the same TV channel, a week earlier.) The pro-MMA-madrassa flurry of statements by Mr Haq has encouraged others to use private TV channels to obfuscate the issue of the isolationism and rejectionism of the madrassas and their exploitation by terrorist organisations, including Al Qaeda. Thus we had a former chief justice of the Sindh High Court shocking us out of our wits by stating on a private TV channel on September 10, that the madrassas were the central education system of the Muslims in India till the British got one man willing to serve them (he was referring to Sir Syed Ahmad Khan) to open a parallel system of education to outflank and destroy the madrassas. He said the 9/11 and 7/7 incidents were stage-managed to justify plans to destroy the Muslims. He said he did not believe that Muslim youths were capable of the terrorism of 7/7, leaving behind telltale evidence to implicate them. It appears that Mr Haq’s rhetoric is catching on with private TV channels, where the hosts or anchorpersons either do not know the background to the growth of terrorism in Pakistan or are a part of the “Islamic reply” to the “accusations” of the West. On September 9, Maulana Abdul Maalik of the MMA was so emboldened by Mr Haq’s presence that he announced that the madrassas would teach jihad as qitaal and needed no permission from the state for starting a war. Mr Haq remained quiet, even though he knew well that Sufi Muhammad of Malakand had ordered a private jihad in favour of the Taliban and had got 8,000 Pushtuns to populate the prisons of the Afghan warlords. He pretended not to see the implications of madrassas deciding when and with whom to go to war without asking the nation-state in which they were located. Indeed, Mr Haq got a discussion so skewed in favour of those who would depose President Pervez Musharraf in the name of Islam that an “unofficial” discussant, Mr Javed al-Ghamidi, had to say that mistakes were made by the madrassas as well. The fact is that most top madrassas are directly or indirectly involved in breeding militant Islamists who are inclined to become terrorists. This has been proved beyond doubt, unless you want proof of nothing less than actual military training grounds on their premises. Pakistan’s most notorious terrorist wanted by India together with Ahmad Umar Sheikh, the murderer of Daniel Pearl in Karachi, is Maulana Masood Azhar, a graduate of the Banuri Town madrassa in Karachi. The director of the madrassa, Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai — target-killed last year –arranged the first meeting between Osama bin Laden and Mullah Umar, the self-styled “caliph” of the Taliban. The South Waziristan terrorist still on the loose in his area, Abdullah Mehsud, went straight to Banuri Town madrassa after his release from Guantanamo Bay and declared war on the Americans and “their allies”. After his mentor Mufti Jamil of the madrassa was killed in Karachi, he struck in South Waziristan, kidnapping two Chinese engineers, with horrible consequences for Pakistan. On June 24, Mufti Rehman and Maulana Irshad, new heads of the Banuri Mosque madrassa in Karachi, were also target-killed. Before the world pressured Pakistan into banning them, some of the jihadi organisations boasted the highest number of madrassas in Pakistan. Those organisations have changed their names, but still exist — and so do their madrassas. One private TV channel exploring the world of madrassas (and finding them clean!) last month visited a very well appointed “university” in Karachi run by Lashkar-e-Taiba, a banned terrorist organisation. Another TV channel visited another madrassa in Islamabad — this time a women’s seminary called Dar al-Hafsa — and was bombarded with rhetoric of rejection of the state, which begins a young Pakistani’s journey into extremism and violence. The TV host wanted to know if the seminary did not take them away from the mainstream of society and expose them to a discourse that made them reject the state. One woman seminarian said that General Pervez Musharraf had blasphemed by saying that women should not be behind the veil. The women said wahi was their command; the state was not. One said she rejected the state. On the other hand, Mr Ijaz ul Haq said on TV that the government had apologised to Dar al-Hafsa and had punished the police officer who had tried to force his way into the madrassa looking for a terror suspect. President Musharraf has said many things on TV that his religious affairs minister is trying to negate through his own gloss on the madrassas. For instance, the president said that the men who tried to kill him had been trained and equipped with explosives in South Waziristan where, he said, he had hunted down and killed some Uighur terrorists from Sinkiang at the request of China. New research is available on the presence of Uighur terrorists in Pakistan, if Mr Haq is interested in the latest information. President Musharraf had also complained of the terrorists of Southeast Asia getting their ideological training in the madrassas of Karachi — the largest Deobandi concentration including madrassas belonging to Sipah-e-Sahaba. He even named Hanbali, the Indonesian terrorist linked to Al Qaeda. The man he got arrested from Dubai on the charge of trying to kill him in Rawalpindi, Qari Saifullah Akhtar, is a graduate of the Banuri Town madrassa. The problem with all madrassas is that they nurse a mind that adopts isolationism as a way of looking at the world. The total lack of realism following World War I that inspired the Khilafat and Hijrat Movements and the Reshmi Romaal Conspiracy tells us that the madrassa is and has always remained a politically dangerous fool’s paradise. This isolationism breeds rejectionism of the world in general and the nation-state in particular. It is the incubator of personalities that later lead Muslim society to extremism and violence. Therefore, Mr Ijaz ul Haq should have the guts to either denounce President Pervez Musharraf and leave his cabinet or admit that the president is pulling a fast one on the world and the people of Pakistan. * REFERENCE: EDITORIAL: Madrassas, Ijaz ul Haq and Musharraf Monday, September 12, 2005 http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_12-9-2005_pg3_1

Ijaz Ul Haq and Khwaja Asif Get Personal


URL: http://youtu.be/FrH0EaxRVyo




ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Ijaz-ul-Haq has said that the patience adopted by the Government with the administration of Lal Masjid following illegal possession of Children Library was its biggest mistake. The administration of Lal Masjid wanted to use 3000 students of Lal Masjid and Jamia Farida as a human shield, he said while talking to State run TV Channel on Monday. "I think strict action is the only way to get rid from Maulana Abdul Aziz, Abdul Rashid Ghazi and save the seminary", the minister observed. Federal Minister for Religious Affairs added that the issue is tarnishing the image of the country abroad and Government has shown great tolerance. The administration of seminary, he said, should be given deadline and if they not agreed then option of action must be reviewed. The issue was deteriorated due to patience and tolerance of Government, he said. The minister was of the view that teachers and students of Jamia Farida are not aware about the behaviour of administration of seminary. Wafaq-ul-Madaris has also removed the name of lal Masjid from its body, he maintained. No one can challenge the writ of Government or nor any one can announce Jihad without will of ruler although he (ruler) is insincere, he asserted. Despite challenging the writ of Government by administration of seminary, he said, Government has shown enormous patients but to no avail. Commenting on Political situation of the country, the minister said that there is no political crisis in the country adding that All Parties Conference would be the gathering self-interest politician. There would be no change on Government due to APC, he said. Answering to a question, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs said that Government should give subsidy to Pakistan International Airlines instead of increasing the fare of Hajj. The increase in fare of Hajj was vital to overcome the loss being faced by PIA, he disclosed adding that PIA is facing enormous problem due to increase in Petroleum prices in international market. End. REFERENCE: Patience with lal Masjid admin big mistake of Govt: Ijaz http://www.paktribune.com/news/print.php?id=182918

Lal Masjid & Role of Ijazul Haq - 1 (GEO TV 2007)

URL: http://youtu.be/PE-boeehZes


مولانا عبدالعزیز برقعے میں فرار ہوتے ہوئے گرفتار

بیورو رپورٹ
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، اسلام آباد
وقتِ اشاعت: Wednesday, 04 July, 2007, 16:54 GMT 21:54 PST




KARACHI: The military regime created the Lal Masjid issue to deceive the international community with a ‘fixed match’, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) alleged Saturday. Friendly treatment towards extremists and cruelty toward liberal and democratic forces has exposed the military regime, said PPP MNAs Yousuf Talpur and Aijaz Jakhrani. Referring to a similar military operation in Balochistan, they said that Akbar Bugti was not being offered the package that the Ghazi brothers, who endangered so many lives, were given. Abdul Aziz Ghazi was called a ‘coward mullah’ for trying to escape in a Burqa. “Liberal and political leaders like Akbar Bughti are not being offered guest house facilities by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain,” they pointed out. A naked contradiction was seen in the government’s policy with its soft handling of militants and suicide bombers, and its hard line attitude towards the democratic opposition. “If someone responsible for killing several innocent men, women and children is allowed to talk to a news channel from a safe-house, why are liberal and democratic political workers kept in inhuman conditions?” they asked. The world knows that the regime invented and promoted the Lal Masjid brigade to threaten civilian governments, as such a monstrously jihad centre was allowed nowhere, let alone in the country’s capital, they said. A high level commission of Supreme Court judges should be formed to find out who created this fifth column and nourished this monster. They demanded the arrest and interrogation of Federal Minister Ijaz ul Haq, and other government officials who directly supported Lal Masjid mullahs, to discover the web of extremism. “The dictatorial regime is directly responsible for the bloodshed of innocent people in and around the Lal Masjid,” PPP leaders said. MQM Chief Altaf Hussain has asked the president, prime minister, federal cabinet and heads of all intelligence agencies to take notice of the Opposition parties’ efforts to play dirty politics for political gains against the Government. Opposition parties wanted to show their support to the Lal Masjid administration to politicize the matter; it is a challenge to the writ of the government, he said. MQM senators have urged the Lal Masjid’s Abdul Rasheed Ghazi to show flexibility and surrender himself to law enforcement agencies. They also criticized the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) for its support to the Lal Masjid administration. REFERENCE: Lal Masjid issue is a ‘fixed match’: PPP Staff Report Sunday, July 08, 2007 http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C07%5C08%5Cstory_8-7-2007_pg12_5

Lal Masjid & Role of Ijazul Haq - 2 (GEO TV 2007)

URL: http://youtu.be/5f9kgoC7E7Q


مولانا عبدالعزیز برقعے میں فرار ہوتے ہوئے گرفتار

بیورو رپورٹ
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، اسلام آباد
وقتِ اشاعت: Wednesday, 04 July, 2007, 16:54 GMT 21:54 PST




* Ejaz says mastermind of PM suicide attack killed in operation Staff Report ISLAMABAD: Eight “high value terrorists” wanted by Pakistan and other countries are holed up inside Lal Masjid, while another was killed by security forces in the ongoing operation, Religious Affairs Minister Ejazul Haq said on Sunday. “Nine suspected terrorists said to be far more dangerous and harmful than Al Qaeda and Taliban operatives were hiding inside the mosque compound,” Haq told a press conference here. He refused to reveal the identities of these militants. He said that security forces killed one of these suspected terrorists inside Lal Masjid on the second day of the ongoing operation. He was the mastermind of the failed suicide attack on Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in Attock in 2005, he said. Haq said that the militants and not Abdul Rashid Ghazi, Lal Masjid’s deputy chief cleric, were controlling the mosque. “The militants are holding children and Ghazi hostage,” he said. He said that of those who had surrendered to the security forces, three girl students were still unclaimed. They were being kept at the Pakistan Sports Complex. He said that about 500 male and female students were still stranded inside the mosque. He also ruled out the government launching any action against other madrassas in Pakistan, including Jamia Faridia. AFP adds: The hardcore militants inside include two commanders from the banned Harkatul-Jihad-e-Islami, security officials said. “We believe there are militants from Harkatul-Jihad-e-Islami, which was involved in the [Daniel] Pearl murder. Based on intelligence we suspect that two commanders from the group are in there,” one senior official told AFP. “They have taken control and they are putting up fierce resistance.” The information was based on “intercepts” and other intelligence, the officials said. A source inside the mosque said there was a “lot of tension among the various groups inside the compound on how to conduct the fight”. He identified one of the Harkatul-Jihad-e-Islami militants as Abu Zar, said to be a one-time accomplice of the group’s late leader Amjad Farooqi, who was killed by security forces in 2004. He also named a Pakistani Taliban militant from Waziristan, Mohammad Fida, as the “security chief” of the compound. There was no official confirmation of the names. REFERENCE: ‘Eight top terrorists inside Lal Masjid’ Monday, July 09, 2007 http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C07%5C09%5Cstory_9-7-2007_pg1_1

Lal Masjid & Role of Ijazul Haq - 3 (GEO TV 2007)

URL: http://youtu.be/s7VgNnqQeQI


مولانا عبدالعزیز برقعے میں فرار ہوتے ہوئے گرفتار

بیورو رپورٹ
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، اسلام آباد
وقتِ اشاعت: Wednesday, 04 July, 2007, 16:54 GMT 21:54 PST




Lal Masjid issue to be resolved soon: Ijaz - ISLAMABAD, April 12: Religious Affairs Minister Ijaz-ul-Haq said on Thursday that the issue of Lal Masjid-Jamia Hafsa would be resolved peacefully and through dialogue within a few days.Speaking to ulema at a meeting of Wafaq-ul-Madaris at the Haji Camp here, he said the government had no plans to launch any operation against the seminary. Mr Haq said: “The government and PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain are in contact with the managements of Jamia Hafsa and Lal Masjid to find a peaceful solution to the issue.” He said Chaudhry Shujaat had met the Lal Masjid management and there were indications that the issue would be resolved amicably. “The students of Jamia Hafsa are our daughters and we are taking every possible step to save their future.” A committee, consisting of ulema and officials of the capital administration, had been set up to address the complaints of mosques and madressas, he said, adding that all issues would be discussed and resolved in future. He said the committee would take decisions about seven disputed mosques in the capital. The minister dispelled the impression that the government was against madressas. He said the registration of 97 per cent madressas affiliated with the Wafaq-ul-Madaris had been completed. A delegation of ulema was likely to meet President Musharraf to discuss issues relating to madressas’ educational activities, he said.—APP REFERENCE: Lal Masjid issue to be resolved soon: Ijaz April 13, 2007 Friday Rabi-ul-Awwal 24, 1428 http://archives.dawn.com/2007/04/13/top12.htm

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