ISLAMABAD: Human rights activist Jibran Nasir, who has been leading the protest against Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz, received a threatening call allegedly from Jamaatul Ahrar spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan on Monday morning.

Ehsan, who belongs to the terror group which claimed responsibility for the Army Public School massacre, threatened Mr Nasir that he and his family would be targeted.

“Don’t consider us weak. Though we are weak at the moment, we will not forget what is happening. If you do not stop the protest against Maulana Aziz, we will target you,” Ehsan said as per the statement of Mr Nasir.

“I not only informed the media but also the police about the number from which I received the call. I also recorded the voice of the caller and later confirmed it from different sources that it was that of Ehsanullah Ehsan,” said the rights activist. He also said the call had come from an Afghanistan number.

Jibran Nasir claims Jamaatul Ahrar’s spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan warned him to stop the protest, otherwise he would be targeted

“I told him (Ehsanullah Ehsan) that I am not going to back out. I believe that our mosques should only give the message of love and peace.”

At 5pm, civil society activists gathered in front of the Aabpara police station and demanded that sections of the Anti-terrorism Act should also be included in the FIR registered against Maulana Aziz for allegedly instigating violence and sectarian hatred.

At around 6pm, the crowd swelled and the organisers of the protest - Jibran Nasir, Athar Bukhari, Farzana Bari and Shan Taseer - went inside the police station and also asked the protesters to remain peaceful.

However, after about 15 minutes some of the protesters started chanting slogans in support of the army.

This did not go well with other participants who then started raising slogans against the army.

Those who were in favour of the army said the army had launched the operation Zarb-i-Azb against militants which should be appreciated. But other participants said the army had actually created the Taliban and did not deserve appreciation. However, some human rights activists calmed down the participants.

However about five minutes later, the participants exchanged heated words with mediapersons, forcing the latter to boycott their coverage. Later, leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), who were also present on the occasion, brought the mediapersons back.

At around 6:45pm, Shan Taseer came out of the police station and said the police were cooperating with them and a new application was being submitted.

Soon after, Farzana Bari also came out and expressed the hope that a new section would be added to the FIR.

Later, a man told the participants that his daughter had been detained in Jamia Hafsa, and this diverted the protesters’ attention towards him.

After 8:30pm, Jibran Nasir and others also came out of the police station and said the police had promised that Maulana Aziz would be arrested by December 24 and a challan would be submitted to the court within two weeks.

The organisers said they would hold a protest on December 25 at the National Press Club and on December 26 in front of the police station if Maulana Aziz was not arrested.

SHO Aabpara Khalid Awan told Dawn that an application to include further sections in the FIR had been received.

“The application would be forwarded to the legal branch of the police and after its opinion the sections would be included in the FIR,” he said.

When contacted, Maulana Aamir Siddique, the naib khateeb of Lal Masjid, said Maulana Aziz had already condemned the Peshawar incident but unfortunately the civil society and the media were not highlighting it.

He rejected the allegation that the cleric and his security guards had threatened the protesters outside Lal Masjid, claiming Maulana Aziz only came to the mosque for Friday prayers.

He said after the Peshawar incident, the nation had united but some elements were trying to sabotage the unity.

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2014