Islamabad administration agrees to give 20-kanal land to deposed Lal Masjid cleric, impasse ends

The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration has reached a deal with the deposed cleric of Lal Masjid Maulana Abdul Aziz, agreeing to allot 20-kanal land for the construction of a seminary in exchange for the latter's vacation of the state-run mosque, Pakistani media reported.

Speaking to Dawn newspaper, Aziz said that the ICT officers had promised him that his case would be taken up with the competent authorities while his demand for a "settlement in the light of a Supreme Court decision" would be considered.

The cleric is expected to leave by Tuesday, while the police force surrounding the seminary in Islamabad's H-11 has been withdrawn.

The women students, who had entered the Jamia Hafsa, a madrasa for women adjoining the mosque, have already started to leave as well.

Aziz had returned to Lal Masjid around two weeks ago, reinstating his claim to be its prayer leader despite a ban on his entry in the premise. Subsequently, the police had laid siege to the area outside the mosque.

The matter turned serious on Thursday night when over a hundred women students entered the Jamia Hafsa by breaking its seal.

Following this, officers from Islamabad administration had approached Lal Masjid to meet Maulana Aziz. But talks remained inconclusive for three days as the cleric insisted that a senior authority equivalent to a federal minister should negotiate with him.