Shujaat fails to woo Lal Masjid chief

Published February 14, 2008

ISLAMABAD, Feb 13: The head of Lal Masjid, Maulana Abdul Aziz, refused to accept condition for his release during a meeting with PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Monday and the matter will now be taken up again after the election.

According to sources, the maulana said that his release did not matter for him because he was ready for any sacrifice for the enforcement of Islamic values.

He asked the PML chief to strive for the reopening of Jamia Faridia which was closed during the Lal Masjid-Jamia Hafsa operation. He demanded that Jamia Hafsa should be rebuilt at the same place.

He asked Chaudhry Shujaat to fulfil the promise of enforcing Sharia which was also part of PML’s programme.

The sources said the PML-Q chief wanted immediate release of Maulana Aziz and he met the cleric to persuade him to agree to a deal with the government.

They said the PML-Q and the JUI-F had suffered a setback in electioneering, especially in rural areas as people blamed them for failing to stop killing of seminary students.

A press release issued by the PML-Q president’s office claimed that Chaudhry Shujaat had discussed a number of proposals with Maulana Aziz and the latter had expressed confidence in Chaudhry Shujaat.

Opinion

Editorial

Reserved seats
Updated 15 May, 2024

Reserved seats

The ECP's decisions and actions clearly need to be reviewed in light of the country’s laws.
Secretive state
15 May, 2024

Secretive state

THERE is a fresh push by the state to stamp out all criticism by using the alibi of protecting national interests....
Plague of rape
15 May, 2024

Plague of rape

FLAWED narratives about women — from being weak and vulnerable to provocative and culpable — have led to...
Privatisation divide
Updated 14 May, 2024

Privatisation divide

How this disagreement within the government will sit with the IMF is anybody’s guess.
AJK protests
14 May, 2024

AJK protests

SINCE last week, Azad Jammu & Kashmir has been roiled by protests, fuelled principally by a disconnect between...
Guns and guards
14 May, 2024

Guns and guards

THERE are some flawed aspects to our society that we must start to fix at the grassroots level. One of these is the...