Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Monday has said that the federal government desires to resolve any issues with Islamic cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz through dialogue so that the situation in the capital may remain normal.
Addressing a presser in the federal capital, the minister stated that there were several cases against Maulana Aziz but the government wanted the situation in the capital to remain normal.
“That’s why we keep talking to them,” he said, adding that Maulana Aziz had an issue every other day.
A day earlier, a case was registered against Maulana Aziz in Islamabad after Afghan Taliban flags were found hoisted on his seminary. Cases were registered against his collaborators as well as students of the seminary. All of these individuals including Aziz were booked under laws that dealt with terrorism.
Maulana Aziz is the administrator of the seminary. When the police came to respond to the situation, Aziz reportedly threatened them with consequences and took the name of the Taliban. The police later tweeted that the flags were removed.
This is not the first time Taliban flags have been hoisted at the seminary. After August 21, there have been three such instances.
As they took action against the act of hoisting Taliban flags, an anti-riot unit accompanied the police contingent. As per the report in Dawn, students of the seminary came out and even climbed the roof as they attempted to taunt the policemen. However, there was no physical altercation. Maulana Aziz and a few of his students brandished weapons.
After negotiations with Maulana Aziz, it was agreed that the Taliban flags would be removed.
Speaking on the occasion, Rasheed commented: “Every day he has an issue and every day we try to resolve it.”
He added that there were 511 madrassahs and 1,000 mosques in the capital. “Out of 511, we have issues with only one which we resolve through dialogue.”
Without naming the entity he was referring to, the minister said that the government had made such efforts with another religious organisation. “However, the result of that was not a good one,” he said.
Moreover, he said Pakistan’s borders were peaceful, adding that “we have no refugee camp”.
He recalled that the prime minister had also expressed his intent during his Tajikistan visit to speak to the Taliban for forming an inclusive government in Afghanistan.
He called out India and others for hatching conspiracies against Pakistan over “their failures in Afghanistan”.
Regarding the New Zealand cricket team’s recent decision to abandon its Pakistan tour minutes before the first match was scheduled to begin, the minister said that it was rich of the opposition to blame the government.
“Don’t throw stones at Sheikh Rasheed of the Ministry of Interior while living in a glasshouse,” he said, adding that the cabinet had provided the New Zealand team with security by the Pakistan Army.
“They don’t have as many [people in their] forces as the number we provided for their security,” he said, adding that it was the government’s “responsibility” to do so.
He said that other teams had visited Pakistan in the past without any issues. He also called on the nation to not be disappointed, stating that the day will come when international teams will want to play in Pakistan.
The minister also questioned the “Five Eyes” alliance”, asking “where were the security experts when the New Zealand team was practicing here for three days”.
He reiterated that Pakistan’s security forces were among the world’s strongest agencies, saying there was no threat alert that prompted the Kiwis to abandon the tour at the last minute.
