ISLAMABAD, July 6: Opposing the method, the cleric brothers of Lal Masjid have adopted to challenge writ of the government, Asif Luqman Qazi, special assistant to Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal president Qazi Hussain Ahmed, said on Friday that non-military options could have been used to resolve the crisis.

Talking to reporters after a meeting with MMA secretary-general Maulana Fazlur Rehman, he alleged that the government had trapped the Ghazi brothers by tolerating their illegal actions and then pushing them to wall by launching the military operation against them.

He said the people trapped inside the Lal Masjid-Jamia Hafsa complex were facing acute shortage water, food and medical facilities.

He said the MMA was playing role in minimising human loss and Maulana Fazl was in contact with the authorities.

“We have appealed to both Maulana Ghazi and the government to show flexibility in their stance and save the situation from leading to more bloodshed,” he added.