Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Ejazul Haq on Thursday said the stage to hold negotiations with clerics of Lal Masjid had passed as talks for past six months did not yield any result. Speaking to PTV, he said Maulana Abdul Aziz, arrested on Wednesday, and his brother could not be termed religious scholars as they had been acting like terrorists.
He said he met Maulana Abdul Aziz at PTV center and he was under no compulsion to keep wearing burqa during his interview, the veil, which he had used in an attempt to escape and he wore it on his own. The minister said Maulana Aziz was mentally unstable and tried to run away leaving behind women, children and his companions.
He disagreed that a committee of religious scholars should restart talks with Abdul Rashid Ghazi because he was willing to surrender but wanted to keep the administrative control of Lal Masjid. The elements inside the mosque might try to make the committee members hostage in desperation and try to get advantage by detaining them, he said.