Whoever has seen Interior Minister Ch Nisar on TV screen in an almost crying posture the night TTP leader Hakeem Ullah Mehsud was droned, they shall not be much surprised by the minister’s declaration in National Assembly on Dec 18th that Maulana Abdul Aziz of Lal Masjid can’t be arrested as there is no pending case against him. Let’s presume Ch Nisar doesn’t hold the cleric responsible for killing of 10 SSG commandos during Lal Masjid operation in July 2007, that may be ignored as we can’t change his mindset. However, what about the FIRs filed against Abdul Aziz on Dec 19th and 20th, 2014, in Islamabad and Karachi?
In view of these very FIRs, Islamabad court issued his non-bailable warrants but apparently the matter was hushed up by interior ministry and Islamabad administration by asking the cleric to restrain himself – and that’s it. Now upon receiving some sort of signals, he is again active. As he wants to address his devotees during Friday prayer sermons from his residence, to prevent him from doing so Ch Nisar’s ministry found an innovative way — to suspend the mobile phone service for three hours every Friday afternoon in a very sensitive area wherein Lal Masjid is located.
I, along with and millions of ordinary Pakistanis like me, fail to understand who is running this show? Is it reasonable to presume that the state has finally surrendered and Abdul Aziz has come out as winner? My presumption is based on Ch Nisar’s reluctance and helplessness to act against the cleric. I feel sorry for him but after telling a blunt lie in the parliament that there is no case against Abdul Aziz he has lost the confidence of Pakistani nation. He may be serving his masters’ orders, but that has nothing to do with the Pakistani people. As Ch Nisar always claims to be a straight forward person with nothing to hide, it’s better he should leave the post for a person who can call a spade a spade.
The federal government shall also challenge the October 2007 Supreme Court orders to re-construct Jamia-e-Hafsa and pay compensation for those who preferred to remain inside the mosque during military operation. We all know those orders were issued by the Supreme Court to embarrass ex-President Pervez Musharraf who was in conflict with then Chief Justice, Ch Iftikhar.
If federal government and military want to come clean on their mantra of no more good or bad Taliban, then we, the ordinary people of Pakistan, demand action against Lal Masjid and its khateeb, Maulana Abdul Aziz.
MASOOD KHAN
Jubail, Saudi Arabia
