Pakistani cleric establishes Sharia Court, warns of suicide atta

Islamabad, Apr 6 (UNI) A Pakistani cleric today announced to set up a Sharia or Islamic court with a warning to field suicide bombers to shake the government if it resorted to an operation against his highly fortified mosque in Islamabad.

The announcement by Maulana Abdul Aziz came days after senior government officials signaled possibility of operation against Red Mosque in Islamabad and students of the affiliated Jamia Hafza Islamic seminary for raiding nearby video/DVD shops and promoting Taliban-style of governance.

''I have set up the court, which will consist of ten muftis or top religious scholars,'' he told a gathering of over 2,000 bearded followers, mostly students to the backdrop of reports that the court will order crackdowns on brothels, gambling dens and other places, which radicals believe are spreading sins in the society.

Aziz gave the government a one-month deadline to close vice-dens or otherwise be prepared for raids by his students.

Students of Jamia-Hafza, began raiding DVD/Video shops in nearby markets early last week with a warning to the owners to stop the un-Islamic business of selling and buying Indian movies, songs, Pakistan stage shows and pornographic films.

Female students of the seminary had also kidnapped a woman manager for allegedly running a local brothel last week and released her only after she sought forgiveness for her sins.

''If the government carries out any operation against us, we will field our suicide bombers as the last option to shake the government,'' Aziz said, as thousands of followers chanted slogans of Al-Jehad and Allah-0-Akbar or Allah is great.

However, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao told reporters in Islamabad that the law would take its course with government taking cognizance of Aziz's speech and whatever illegal action that took place today.

The emotionally charged crowd also set ablaze thousands of Indian and Pakistani movies as well as songs, which were provided to them by owner of a local shop, who has decided to switch over to rent-a-car business.

UNI