Interior ministry decides to act against Lal Masjid cleric

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Interior has decided to act against firebrand cleric of Islamabad's Red Mosque (Lal Masjid) Maulana Abdul Aziz over his activities.

On Friday, a large contingent of Rangers and police personnel could be seen deployed outside the mosque, which was the center of a major anti-Taliban military operation in 2007 which ended in a bloody eight-day siege killing more than 50 Pakistani troops and seminary students.

According to the interior ministry, the cleric was using the government-run mosque for political activities.

According to reports, the cleric has also cancelled his upcoming planned rally in the federal capital following talks.