ISLAMABAD – Another cleric in Islamabad follows the footsteps of LalMasjid’s Maulana Abdul Aziz.
Following in the footsteps of Lal Masjid’s Maulana Abdul Aziz, anothercleric in Islamabad has refused to vacate his post as a prayer leader atMasjid-e-Shuhada despite being reaching the age of superannuation.
According to reports, Maulana Ghulam Rasool refused to leave his post eventhough he retired last year and a new prayer leader, Maulana Amir Siddique— nephew of Aziz and a former Lal Masjid *khateeb* — was appointed to takecharge of the mosque situated in the Aabpara area.
With the Auqaf Department’s inability to fix the issue, the rift betweenthe two clerics has led to multiple disputes between the supporters.Rasool’s supporters have refused to allow Siddique to lead the prayers atthe mosque, which compelled him to approach the Aabpara police station tofile a complaint, followed by a counter police complaint filed by Rasool.
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The dispute at Masjid-e-Shuhada follows a standoff at Lal Masjid that beganwhen Maulana Aziz returned to the mosque last month, reiterating his claimto be its prayer leader. The situation, however, turned serious a few weeksago when over 100 female students entered the Jamia Hafsa in Islamabad’sSector H-11 by breaking its official seal.
Subsequently, officers from the capital administration approached LalMasjid to meet Maulana Aziz, but the talks remained inconclusive as thecleric insisted that a senior authority equivalent to a federal ministershould negotiate with him.
