June 19, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 14, 1429

ISLAMABAD, June 18: The Supreme Court on Wednesday summoned record of four criminal cases from Islamabad High Court in which former Lal Masjid Khateeb Maulana Abdul Aziz has been granted bail by the IHC.

A three-member bench of the SC comprising Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, Justice Ijazul Hassan and Justice Chaudhry Ejaz Yousaf took up an appeal moved by the government seeking cancellation of the bail. After preliminary hearing, the apex court adjourned the matter for an indefinite period.

Representing the government, Advocate Mohammad Ilyas Siddiqui requested the court to cancel the bail granted by the IHC, saying these cases had been registered under the Ant-Terrorism Act.

The standoff between the government and the mosque management began on January 22, 2007 after Jamia Hafsa students took over a children’s library adjacent to the Lal Masjid.

Later, a total of 27 cases were registered against Maulana Aziz out of which he has been acquitted in 26 cases by the trial courts. Now the application for bail in only one case (forced occupation of the children’s library) is pending with the high court against Maulana Aziz.

The cases in which Maulana Aziz was granted bail earlier by the division bench of the IHC comprising its Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Aslam and Justice Raja Saeed Akram involved abduction of Chinese nationals, shooting on Rangers, abduction of law- enforcement personnel on duty and terrorism against the state.

The counsel for the maulana had maintained before the IHC that these cases against his client were baseless and without evidence. Citing an FIR in which it had been mentioned that Maulana Aziz had instigated students of his seminary to attack law-enforcement personnel, set on fire government buildings and target the Rangers, the counsel had contended that no direct involvement of his client was established in any such incident.