Pakistan's Red Mosque cleric freed (Roundup)

Apr 16, 2009, 17:24 GMT

Islamabad - Pakistani authorities on Thursday freed the hard-line cleric at Islamabad's radical Red Mosque, Maulana Abdul Aziz, a day after the Supreme Court granted him bail.

Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Asadullah Faiz told German Press Agency dpa that police had been withdrawn from Aziz's residence in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

'He is a free man now, and he can go wherever he wants,' he added. Hundreds of cleric's followers, including burqa-clad women, chanted slogans like 'God is great' and threw rose petals as Aziz arrived at the Red Mosque, from his residence, where he had been in detention for several months.

Aziz was arrested trying to escape disguised as a woman during a stand-off in July 2007 between security forces and his armed followers entrenched in the Red Mosque and adjoining girl's seminary.

The militants, headed by Aziz and his brother Abdul Rashid Ghazi, were demanding the enforcement of Islamic laws, known as Sharia.

The conflict ended with a military commando operation that left more than 100 people dead, including a dozen soldiers and Ghazi, according to official claims.

Militant Muslims claim that more than 3,000 female students also died in the operation. The government denied this, but the military action sparked revenge suicide attacks that have killed thousands across the country.

'The sacrifices of the Red Mosque martyrs will bear fruit and Islam will definitely be enforced here one day,' a defiant Aziz told the crowd.

He also backed off condemning the suicide strikes inside Pakistan, sazing they 'are taking place because we have taken on someone else's war,' a reference to Pakistan's alliance with Western countries in the fight against terrorism.

Following the Red Mosque operation, authorities filed 27 criminal cases against Aziz, including conspiracy to murder and anti-state activities.

However, during the court proceedings, Aziz was granted bail in 25 cases and charges were dropped in one case.

In the last case, a three-member bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the cleric's release, observing there was no sufficient material available on record against Aziz. 'Therefore, he deserved to be granted bail,' said the court order.

Aziz's release comes as President Asif Ali Zardari is struggling against rising militancy, extremism and terrorism in Pakistan.

He has come under criticism from the country's Western allies and local liberals for allegedly caving in to the militants under a peace deal his government recently signed in the restive north-western valley of Swat and seven neighbouring districts.