Captive radical chief cleric of Lal Masjid Abdul Aziz led funeral prayers for his brother Abdul Rashid Ghazi at his burial in his native village in Pakistan's Punjab province on Thursday, which was attended by over 2,500 people. Ghazi, who was killed in security forces' operation against militants at Islamabad's Lal Masjid on Tuesday, was buried at his native Basti Abdullah village.
The cleric's immediate family members, who were permitted by the Supreme Court yesterday to attend the funeral, were present at the scene.
They included Ghazi's wife, Humera, Aziz's wife, Umme-Hassa and other relatives, who were taken to the place by the government.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined their appeal to bury Ghazi in the boys madrassa in Islamabad.
Aziz, who was caught while fleeing from the Lal Masjid wearing a burqa was released on parole and escorted by a heavy contingent of police. Around 2500 locals and supporters of Islamic religious parties attended the funeral.
Some slogans were raised in support of Ghazi. Elaborate security arrangements had been made for the funeral prayers and burial. Before leaving, Aziz in a brief interaction with the media said he came out of Lal Masjid in a burqa with the consent of his brother and the government later enacted a "drama" by carrying an interview with his burqa.
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