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Mohammad Shehzad in Islamabad
Senior leader of the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, Maulana Azam Tariq, who was arrested following pressure from the United States and India after last year's suicide attack on the Indian Parliament, was released from jail on Wednesday.
Tariq contested the October 10 general election in Pakistan and won from Jhang, an SSP stronghold.
Speaking to rediff.com immediately after his release, Tariq denied that his release was part of a secret deal with President Pervez Musharraf's military regime.
"My release has not been effected under a deal with the government. In fact, the Punjab government gave me a tough time. It filed a writ petition in the Lahore high court and then followed it up with an appeal in the Supreme Court when my nomination papers were accepted by the election commission," he said.
The election commission's decision to allow Tariq to contest election had come as a surprise to many.
Commenting on the commission's decision, Newsline daily wrote: "The sectarian leader whose hands are bloodied by scores of murder cases has been given the freedom to spread religious hatred and violence once again. The Musharraf government, which has vowed to eliminate extremism, has apparently given its blessings to a known terrorist to contest the elections."
Tariq is a diehard votary of the Taliban.
"We do not consider ourselves separate from Taliban or Afghanistan. Our history, our religion and blood and culture are the same. The Taliban government is our ideal government and we want a similar one in Pakistan because it has peace, equality and justice. We consider the war against Osama and Taliban a war against us Pakistanis and Pakistan," he had said in an interview to ABC last year.
Tariq denied he has decided to join the Muttehida Majlis-e-Amal, a six-party religious alliance that has emerged as the third largest political outfit in Pakistan.
"I contested the October 10 election as an independent candidate despite tremendous opposition of the government. To date, I have not joined the MMA or any other political party. But nothing is final in politics. I will have to make a decision after consulting my voters and well-wishers," he said.
Asked about his links with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, another banned terrorist outfit, and the Taliban, he said: "I have nothing to do with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. As far as my being pro-Taliban is concerned, the entire MMA is pro-Taliban."
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