Maulana Abdul Aziz

Islamabad, April 15 (AP): Pakistan’s Supreme Court today ordered the release of a hardline cleric who had been detained shortly before soldiers stormed his mosque in 2007, killing scores of people and energising the country’s Islamist insurgency.

Maulana Abdul Aziz was granted bail while the court considers the charges against him in relation to the siege of the Lal Masjid in islamabad, his lawyer Shaukat Siddiqui told reporters outside the court. Prosecutors were not available for comment.

Aziz was arrested as he tried to sneak out of the mosque dressed in an all-covering burqa worn by some Muslim women. Several days later, security forces stormed the mosque and adjoining buildings after scores of heavily armed militants inside refused to surrender. The government says 102 people, including 11 security personnel, were killed in the standoff.

Aziz is facing a raft of charges ranging from abetting terrorists to illegally occupying a building.

Pakistan has a history of failing to successfully prosecute militants, many of whom are believed to have once had links with the country’s armed forces. The siege triggered anger among Pakistani Islamists.