KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Sunday registered a case against the cleric of Lal Majid of Islamabad for threatening the party leader and inciting people for violence through social media.
Advocate Arif Ahmad Khan, who is the member of MQM’s decision-making Coordinating Committee got the case filed against Maulana Abdul Aziz at the police station in the central district under the charges of terrorism, cyber crime and spread of hatred.
The registration follows a volley of statements by MQM chief Altaf Hussain, who demanded demolition of the Lal Masjid (Red mosque) and closure of the affiliated seminary (madarsa), which remained a hotbed for terrorism.
The mosque and the seminary were stormed by Pakistan Army commandos in 2007 after armed pupils along with embedded militants declared war against the state and created chaos in the Pakistani capital city.
Dozens of militants including Maulana Aziz’s brother and his wife and the seminary students were killed in the action whereas many soldiers and officers including a colonel were also killed amid exchange of heavy firearms and days long standoff and siege of the mosque.
Maulana Aziz was arrested by law enforcement agencies while trying to escape by covering himself in a Burqa (long black veil) and was forced to make a humiliating appearance on the national television, still wearing the woman’s garment.
However, he was released on bail some two years after his arrest.
He came under sharp criticism recently for failing to denounce the massacre of children at a Peshawar city school in which 149 people, including 133 children were slain.
MQM chief Altaf Hussain while addressing a huge rally on Friday to condemn the brazen terrorist attack, deplored Aziz’s stance on the massacre and demanded the government to dismantle the mosque which had become the abode of spreading hatred instead of harmony.
Retaliating to the statement, Aziz called Hussain to come back home from exile in London and face the consequences of his statement.
“Come back, people will throw shoes at you, You talk about demolishing Allah’s house, Insha Allah, the army of Allah, the army of Islam are here ... come to Pakistan to see the consequences of what you have said,” said Aziz in a video message posted on social media.
Members of civil society were also holding protests outside the Lal Mosque to condemn Aziz’s stand on the heinous attacks.
Pakistani government has geared up efforts to hunt down militants and terrorists in a major transformation of its approach towards terrorism after the grisly attack on Army Public School on last Tuesday.
All the political parties including major religious parties extended their support to the government for its efforts to eliminate terrorism in the country.
