World | Pakistan
Militant cleric claims having guns in mosque
The militant cleric who declared enforcement of Sharia in Pakistan's federal capital and gave a deadline to the government, remains defiant and claims that he has guns on the mosque premises to defend his headquarters if authorities tried to launch crackdown.
- By Wajid Ali Wajid, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 00:00 April 13, 2007
Islamabad: The militant cleric who declared enforcement of Sharia in Pakistan's federal capital and gave a deadline to the government, remains defiant and claims that he has guns on the mosque premises to defend his headquarters if authorities tried to launch crackdown.
In a telephonic interview from Lal Masjid with Gulf News yesterday, Maulana Abdul Aziz reiterated his claims that the mosque has guns on its premises and his followers will defend themselves if the government opted for any sort of crackdown.
He said that female students of Jamia Hafsa will never vacate the occupied library building until Sharia is enforced in the country.
"If the government relied on action to force female students out of this occupied building, our students are ready to separate their souls from their bodies to save the Jamia and honour of this seminary," Aziz claimed.
Artificial crisis
He vehemently denied opposition's allegations that he along with his brother and mosque's assistant chief Abdul Rashid Ghazi was toeing the government's line to project an artificial crisis and said that he has nothing to do with secret agencies.
"I am a follower of only Allah and no one else. We don't care for such baseless allegations, our only goal is to enforce Sharia in Pakistan through jihad while the political-religious leaders want to impose Sharia though democratic norms, which we don't admire," he added.
He said he did not rely on Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal but derived support from followers in the Northwestern Frontier Province.
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