Lal Masjid operation: Maulana Aziz acquitted in Ranger official's killing case

The Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) acquitted Maulana Abdul Aziz, Chief Cleric of Lal Masjid, along with 16 others on Monday in charge of killing a Ranger official during Lal Masjid operation in July 2007.
ATC Judge Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman, after trial of five years, acquitted Aziz, his wife Umm-e-Hassaan, their daughter Tayaba Aziz, Humera Rashid (the widow of Maulana Abdur Rashid Ghazi), along with some students and teachers of Jamia Faridia in the murder of Ranger's official Lance Naik Mubarak Hussain who was deputed outside the mosque. The court during hearing observed that the prosecution failed in proving its case against the accused persons.
Total 21 persons were accused in the case, out of which four people including Abu Bakar, Mujeeb-ur-Rehman, Muhammad Saeed and Muhammad Imran were declared proclaimed offenders because they never appeared before the court. The ATC issued arrest warrants for all the four accused. Maulana Abdul Aziz, while talking to media after court decision, termed his acquittal as success of truth. He said that former president Pervez Musharraf burnt the students in Lal Masjid alive as they opposed erroneous policies of the regime.
Wajihuddin, the Defense Lawyer, told the media that there were five more cases against the students and clerics of Lal Masjid still pending in the lower courts in Islamabad, including a famous case of kidnapping of Aunti Shamim and two policemen by the students of Jamia Faridia.
He said his client was tried on the allegations that he (Maulana) instigated the seminaries to launch an attack over security forces and abetting the murder of Ranger Lance Naik Mubarik Hussain. Charges levelled against Aziz's younger brother Maulana Ghazi were dropped after he had died.
A trial court awarded bail to Maulana Abdul Aziz in the case in 2008 along with his other family members. A case against the accused was registered on July 3, 2007. On July 3, 2007, former president Pervez Musharraf had ordered a military operation against the mosque.