Radical cleric Abdul Aziz,returned to Lal Masjid in the heart of the Pakistani capital the scene of a bloody siege that had left more than 100 people dead and vowed to continue his campaign for enforcing Islamic law across the country. Aziz drove to the mosque in a motorcade late on Thursday and was greeted by thousands of supporters and madrasa students. The cleric,whose purge angered radical groups like the Taliban,made his appearance along with Ahmed Ludhianvi,leader of the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba group that reportedly has links with al-Qaeda. He told the media that he would continue his struggle for enforcement of Sharia or Islamic law not only in Pakistan,but across the world. We will continue our struggle until Islamic law is spread across the country,not just in Swat. We support enforcement of Sharia in Swat and the day is not far off when Sharia will be enforced across the country, Aziz said. Among those who gathered to greet the cleric on his release after being granted bail by the Supreme Court were dozens of burqa-clad women. His supporters carried him into the mosque on their shoulders and he later led the Isha prayers that were offered at 10.45 pm instead of 8 pm. Aziz claimed the Lal Masjids campaign for Sharia was peaceful and criticised former President Pervez Musharraf for conducting a barbaric military operation that killed many seminary students. He said sacrifices of the martyrs of Lal Masjid would bear fruit and the Islamic system would be promulgated in Pakistan. Asked by reporters if the activists of Lal Masjid would again take up arms,Aziz said: If we are pushed to the wall,we will have no option but to defend ourselves. He claimed he had never supported suicide bombings and that he had only warned the Government by saying if an operation was launched against the mosque,suicide bombings could occur throughout Pakistan. The Dawn said that Aziz was released under a deal whereby he will not create any trouble for the administration and not make any demands difficult for the Government to meet. Asked if he would file a case against Musharraf for ordering the military operation against the Lal Masjid,Aziz replied: I leave it to Allah Almighty.
