Lal Masjid cleric hoists Taliban flag, booked

Cops take action after video of flag on seminary goes viral

The seminary students had hoisted the flag a month earlier too but the latest pictures of the flag went viral on social media prompting the police to take action.

The Islamabad police have registered a case against the Lal Masjid chief cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz and his aides under the Antiterrorism Act (ATA) for resisting the police and the officials of the district administration from removing an Afghan Taliban flag hoisted by seminary students.

A case was also registered against the Jamia Hafsa seminary students for hoisting the flag atop the seminary roof.

Jamia Hafsa is a Lal Masjidaffiliated seminary for women and its female students had hoisted Emarat-e-Islami’s (Taliban-ruled Afghanistan) flag over the seminary building.

Not the first time

The seminary students had hoisted the flag a month earlier too but the latest pictures of the flag being hoisted again went viral on social media prompting the police and the Islamabad Capital Territory Authority (ICTA) Administration to take action. In another video, Maulana Abdul Aziz was seen sitting outside the seminary carrying a weapon.

It was only after a prolonged negotiation that they agreed to remove the flag.