Islamabad mosque cordoned off to stop cleric's possible return

Islamabad, July 19 The famous Lal Masjid in Islamabad has been cordoned off by the police in an effort to stop Pakistani cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz from returning to the mosque following the disappearance of one of his close aides, a media report said on Sunday.

The Special Branch alerted the capital administration and police that the cleric may break a recent agreement with the government and try to return to Lal Masjid, said the Dawn news report.

As a result, the mosque was again cordoned off by the police to intercept his entry.

When contacted, officers of the capital administration and police told Dawn news that the cleric's close aide Maulana Idrees disappeared from on July 15.

After the disappearance, Maulana Aziz in a message threatened to break the agreement under which he had left Lal Masjid for two months.

The agreement was reached between him and the government.

( With inputs from IANS )