Pakistan: Red Mosque siege remembered

The government was urged to reopen an affiliated boys school closed after the operation. "If the government does not reopen the madrassa, we will open it ourselves," Rehman said.

The declaration also called for the release of Maulana Abdul Aziz, the mosque's chief cleric, who was arrested while trying to flee the siege in a burqa, the all-encompassing woman's veil.

Armed police manned nearby roadblocks during the gathering, and some streets around the mosque--now repainted beige--were cordoned off with barbed wire.

Speakers sat at a large makeshift stage, and a sign hanging from a tree read, "Martyrs are saying to you 'Do not forget our blood.'"

Cleric Maulana Mujeebur Rehman said Ghazi died fighting for truth.

"God willing, we will continue our journey in the leadership of our elders," he said.

Ghazi's 12-year-old son, Haroonur Rashid, also addressed the conference, saying his father and other victims in the siege laid down their lives in their quest for Islamic law.

"I am also ready to sacrifice my life for Islamic law," he said.