ISLAMABAD - The federal government Tuesday proscribed Ghazi Force, a militant group that is believed to have been formed following the military operation of Lal Masjid in 2007.

The organization has been banned under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 for “having reasons to believe that Ghazi Force is concerned in terrorism”, says a notification issued by the Ministry of Interior. The organization has been listed in the First Schedule of the ATA 10097, says the notification.

With the proscription of Ghazi Force, the tally of banned outfits in the country has reached 78, according to the list of proscribed organizations of National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA)

According to security officials, the militant group had derived its name from Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi, the brother of firebrand cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz, who was killed as a result of security forces’ siege of Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa in 2007 when the country was being ruled by military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf. It is believed that the militant group was formed in reaction to that operation that had made international headlines.

Earlier this month on August 19, the federal government had banned a group identified as Khatam-ul-Ambia for being an offshoot of an outlawed sectarian militant organization.