The government on Tuesday took Maulana Fazlur Rehman Khalil, chief of the banned Harkatul Mujahideen, into protective custody after the death of Abdur Rashid Ghazi, sources told Daily Times. “Fazlur Rehman Khalil has been taken into protective custody at his residence-cum-madrassa in Islamabad in view of the security situation,” said the sources. Khalil was a close aide of Ghazi and had played a vital role in talks between the government and the Lal Masjid administration on Monday night. The sources said that Khalil was taken into protective custody to avoid a backlash following Ghazi’s death. They said Farooq Kashmiri, another militant commander, who was called in from Azad Jammu and Kashmir two days ago, was already in the government’s custody.