Captured cleric released to preach at brother’s funeral

THE captured chief cleric of a militant mosque was allowed to lead funeral prayers for his slain brother yesterday and he predicted that the deaths of the mosque’s defenders in an army raid would push Pakistan toward an “Islamic revolution”.

The crackdown on the Red Mosque raised the standing of President Gen Pervez Musharraf among moderates and foreign backers worried about rising extremism in Pakistan.

However, it has given hardliners a rallying point, as well as new martyrs, and has prompted calls from al-Qaida and Taliban for revenge attacks.