SC seeks report on Lal Masjid case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday directed Attorney General to inform it about the steps taken by the government for the implementation of its order, passed in a suo moto case regarding Lal Masjid.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Ijaz Afzal Khan heard the suo moto case and application filed by the cleric of Lal Masjid for the implementation of its order passed on October 2, 2007.

It is pertinent to mention here that a three-member bench of the apex court headed by former Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on October 2, 2007 had directed the federal government to register an FIR for defiling of Quran and killings of innocent persons in Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa; make compensation/diyat to the heirs of deceased; and construct Jamia Hafsa institution within one year and make interim arrangements of education and boarding and lodging of students and report its progress to the court within 30 days.

Tariq Asad, counsel for Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz, while appearing before the court prayed that the its order of October 2, 2007 was not yet implemented in letter and spirit.He further said that although the report of the Lal Masjid Commission has been made public but they had been denied the access to those documents, submitted before the commission in sealed envelopes.

The counsel contended that the access to those envelopes would help in the disclosure of true facts of the Lal Masjid operation. The court directed Attorney General to go through the documents in the envelopes and apprise it about their contents in the open court.

Meanwhile, Umm-e-Hassan, wife of Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Aziz, appeared before the court along with alleged victims of Lal Masjid operation. She alleged that her son-in-law has been abducted by a security agency and it had admitted that he was in its custody.

She denied the link of Tashfeen with Lal Masjid, adding that she was also not the student of Lal Masjid Madrassa but admitted that once she had taken a photograph with Maulana Abdul Aziz but it does not mean that she had any link with the Madrassa.

She alleged that they have been targeted. She said that her husband has not committed any crime. The court also asked her to file a petition about her son-in-law under Article 184(3) of the constitution.Later, the court adjourned the hearing until winter vacations.