Court frees anti-US cleric amid spat with Trump
peshawar — A Pakistani court has ordered the release of a radical anti-US cleric who went to Afghanistan with thousands of volunteers to help the Taleban fight against Americans after the 2001 US-led invasion, a defense lawyer said.
The development comes amid rising US-Pakistani tensions following President Donald Trump’s accusations that Pakistan was harbouring militants and the withholding of American aid to Islamabad.
Sufi Mohammed was set free on health grounds and the paperwork for his release was still being processed on Tuesday, said defence lawyer Fida Gul.
Mohammed, imprisoned since 2009, is also known as the fatherin-law of Mullah Fazlullah, the leader of the outlawed Pakistani Taleban who is believed to be hiding in Afghanistan.
Washington accuses Pakistan of turning a blind eye to militants. Pakistan denies the charge. Last week, Trump said that the United States had “foolishly” given Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid in the last 15 years and had gotten nothing in return but “lies & deceit.”
Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Pakistan’s ambassador to US, accused the Trump administration of ignoring the sacrifices made by Pakistan in the war on terror. The claim is unfair, Chaudhry said over the weekend, before heading back to Washington.
“We have been the victim of terrorist attacks and how can we tolerate the presence of militants on our soil,” he said.
Ties between Islamabad and Washington could be further strained by the release of Mohammed, who back in 2001 issued an edict, or fatwa, for holy war (jihad) against US-led forces in Afghanistan. —