Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Aziz called on Friday for the imposition of Islamic rule across Pakistan and the world and hinted at the use of force if he and his followers were obstructed.Aziz, arrested two years ago during a siege of the mosque, was released from house detention on Thursday after the Supreme Court granted him bail on a surety bond worth Rs 200,000.
"We will continue our struggle to enforce Islamic order in the country," said Aziz, delivering the Friday sermon to tens of thousands of worshippers.
"Will you render sacrifices?" he asked to chants of "yes" by the worshippers. "Will you go to jails? Will you render sacrifices for religion?" he shouted to replies of assent each time.
"God willing, our sacrifices will not go in vain and Islam will be implemented not only in Pakistan but all over the world," Aziz told followers crammed into the mosque and spilling out onto the street.
"We are peaceful people but if our way is blocked then you have witnessed the scenes in Swat and in FATA," he said, referring to the violence-plagued Federally Administered Tribal Areas on the Afghan border.
Aziz was well known for his fiery sermons, even threatening to unleash suicide bombers against his movement's enemies.
"What we have seen in Swat and the Tribal Areas is the result of the sacrifices at the Lal Masjid, of the students, the people who were martyred," Aziz said.
The July 2007 mosque siege was a turning point in Pakistan's slide into religious extremism and violence. Army commandos assailed the complex days after heavily-armed militants holed up inside fought gunbattles with police and refused to surrender. The government says 102 people, including 11 security personnel, were killed. Aziz was arrested as he tried to sneak out of the mosque compound, which included a seminary for girls, dressed in an all-covering burqa.