A complaint has been lodged against Umme Hassan, the spouse of the Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz, by the Kohsar police station. The charges involve multiple sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), and they were filed following an incident involving Aziz and his followers, as reported in an official police statement.
The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) was reportedly fired upon by Aziz and his followers on Wednesday, in the vicinity of the religious seminary in the capital. The First Information Report (FIR), lodged by a sub-inspector, indicated that Aziz managed to evade capture, but three of his followers were apprehended.
The event incited a reaction from a group of Jamia Hafsa students who blocked the city’s roads in protest. Circulating videos depicted female police officers being assaulted with batons. Despite the violence, no arrests were made, and the streets were cleared by the evening.
The FIR accused Hassan of inciting unrest and promoting hatred through her statements and interviews with the media. “They [CTD] aren’t deserving of any sympathy. If you spot them, kill them whether they are in uniform or not. Even if they are not attacking you, still kill them,” she was quoted as saying in the FIR.
Furthermore, in a widely circulated video, Hassan allegedly called upon the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan to “avenge” the purported attack on Lal Masjid cleric Aziz.
The FIR alleged that Hassan, through her declarations, attempted to incite violence and encouraged individuals to resort to vigilantism against law enforcement officers.
In addition to other infringements, the FIR invokes Section 7 of the ATA, which addresses punishment for acts of terrorism. It also cites Section 11-W, applicable to those who “print, publish, or disseminate any material to incite hatred,” and Section 11-X, relating to civil commotion.
The FIR also incorporates five sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), covering a range of offences including conspiracy, criminal intimidation, wrongful restraint, rioting, and unlawful assembly.
