Lal Masjid distances itself from Jamaat ul Ahrar's operation 'Ghazi'

ISLAMABAD - Lal Masjid on Saturday decried the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar's statement announcing terror strikes in the name of Abdul Rasheed Ghazi.

According to reports, the group (Jamaat-ul-Ahrar) has said the recent attack in Lahore was carried out as part of ‘Operation Ghazi’ to avenge the killing of Lal Masjid preacher Abdul Rasheed Ghazi.

However, on Saturday Ghazi’s son, Haroon Rasheed Ghazi, released a video statement addressing Jamaatul Ahrar and suggesting that the bloodshed was not in the interest of anyone.

'We should come up with a political solution. This bloodshed is not in the interest of anyone. Our stance is very clear; we do not endorse any violent activities,' he said.

The video statement also suggested that the country had faced a wave of unrest since the 2007 Lal Masjid operation because of international powers. Mr Ghazi blamed the United States and local politicians for turmoil in Pakistan.

Lal Masjid’s Shuhada Foundation, which usually responds on behalf of Maulana Abdul Aziz, has already denounced Jamaatul Ahrar for using Ghazi’s name in its attack.

In another statement, Lal Masjid questioned the transparency of the operation conducted after the Sehwan Sharif bombing that left over 90 people dead.

The Shuhada Foundation demanded that the names and details of the deceased be made public.

'Under which law were these people declared terrorists and then eliminated through extrajudicial killings?' it said

'There is a need to counter terrorism but it should be within the ambit of the law' the statement continued.

It is relevant to mention that Abdul Rasheed Ghazi died during a military operation in red mosque back in 2007. A video allegedly uploaded by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar suggested that the banned group was about to launch an offensive targeting different cities in the name of deceased preacher.

Jamaat ul Ahrar, an offshoot of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan was allegedly behind the Lahore Charing-cross blast that left 15 people dead including two senior police officials.