Cleric wants Pakistan Supreme Court to enforce Sharia

Islamabad, Mar 29 (ANI): A Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Aziz has called on the chief justice of the Pakistan Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of the delay in the enforcement of Islamic (Sharia) laws in the country for which "we rendered great sacrifices".

Cleric Abdul Aziz called on the chief justice of the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of the delay in the enforcement of Islamic laws for which "we rendered great sacrifices".

A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice (CJ) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Tuesday sought reply from the government on a suo motu case on Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa along with a contempt petition filed by Maulana Aziz within seven days, The Express Tribune reports.

The court also issued notices to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman, Islamabad chief commissioner and the interior secretary to appear before the bench in person during the next hearing on April 25.

On being asked by the court about his grievances, Aziz replied that "the court was not taking suo motu notice to enforce Shariah in the Islamic state".

Aziz later urged the court to take suo motu notice and direct the Parliament to pass a bill imposing Shariah law in the country.

Aziz asked the Chaudhury to take "big" suo motu measures to enforce Shariah in the country, "otherwise Allah will take suo motu action against the system", while positing that "Pakistan was created in the name of Islam, however we are still the slaves of foreign invaders, we are following the laws of infidels."

Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, however, said that policymaking was not the court's job, but that of the government. (ANI)