Radical Pak cleric returns to Lal Masjid

Set free on bail, radical cleric Abdul Aziz on Friday made a defiant return to the Lal Masjid mosque, which he headed prior to a bloody storming by the Pakistan Army in 2007, and called on his supporters to be ready to sacrifice their lives for enforcing Islamic law across Pakistan.

Aziz made a triumphant return to the mosque in the heart of the city in a motorcade and led thousands of his supporters to Friday prayers. Thousands of people jam packed the rebuilt mosque to hear the cleric lead the prayers and deliver a rallying call to his supporters.

The hardline cleric, whose purge angered radical groups like the Taliban, made his appearance along with Ahmed Ludhianvi, leader of the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba group that reportedly has links with Al-Qaida.

In a sermon before the prayers, the firebrand cleric called on his followers to be ready to sacrifice their lives for implementing Shariah or Islamic law across the country.

He said the Nizam-e-Adl Regulation for enforcing Shariah in the northwestern Swat valley should be extended to the whole of Pakistan.

"What we have seen in Swat and the tribal areas is the result of the sacrifices at the Lal Masjid: the students and the people who were martyred," Aziz said.

The cleric said he would announce his strategy for enforcing Shariah in Pakistan within a few days after consulting his colleagues.