By IANS
Islamabad : The controversial Lal Masjid in the heart of the Pakistani capital will be ready for devotees next Friday, two weeks after 103 people were killed in the military operation to evict rebel Muslim clergy, students and armed militants.
But the Pakistan government does not want to rebuild the girls' seminary that was completely destroyed and might now be relocated.
The move is being opposed by Wafaqul Madaris, the national organisation of madrassas, whose leadership is meeting shortly to chalk out protest demonstrations.
Laying out a timetable for restoration, Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Kamran Lashari told Daily Times that 70 percent of work at the mosque had been completed.
He said no decision had yet been taken on a move to paint the mosque, called Lal Masjid because of its red paint, a different colour.
Lashari's comments came on the day the Supreme Court summoned documents and details of the nine-day operation.
The apex court, taking suo motu cognisance of developments, Monday took up cudgels on behalf of the rural poor of the country who, for lack of resources and facilities back home, were compelled to send their wards to Jamia Hafsa, the girls' seminary, and Jamia Rasheedia, meant for boys.
The three-member bench of Justices Javed Iqbal, Abdul Hameed Dogar and Muhammad Nawaz Abbasi also demanded details about the desecration of the Quran during the Lal Masjid operation, and ordered the registration of an FIR (first information report) against those responsible.
Deputy commissioner Muhammad Ali told the bench that out of 134 detainees, 37 had been released after thorough scrutiny. He said former chief cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz, his spouse Majida Umme Hassaan and their two daughters Tayyaba and Asma were detained at the Simli Dam Resthouse, which had been declared a sub-jail.
Justice Javed Iqbal said the court was concerned about missing persons and the number of killings and burials. He said several people's relatives had gone missing in the operation and it was the administration's duty to ease their suffering.
Justice Abbasi said the common factor was that all the students belonged to poor families. "If they had enough money, they would not have admitted their sons and daughters to Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa."
Radicalisation of the students by the mosque's clerics led to a six-month siege of the complex. Influx of armed militants belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed and others who President Pervez Musharraf alleged had international Al Qaeda links, prompted the government to launch Operation Silence on July 3.