Darwaish
In another dramatic development last night, dozens of armed Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa students stormed into a Chinese Beauty Parlor (massage centere) and kidnapped 9 people including 6 women and 3 men. All people are apparently of Chinese nationality. The incident occurred late Friday night.
According to Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa students, a brothel was being run under the name of massage centre and they have held Chinese men and women hostage for ‘Islah’.
I was watching Geo News just a few minutes ago and Chinese Government has strongly condemned this incident and demanded an appropriate action. Daily Times reports:
Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa students raided a Chinese massage centre in Sector F-8/3 and took hostage five Chinese nationals, including three women and two men, on late Saturday night in Islamabad, Geo television reported. According to the channel, two vehicles full of armed seminary students raided the massage centre, abducted the staff and brought them to the mosque. Geo reported Jamia Hafsa administration as alleging that a brothel was being run under the garb the massage centre. The Lal Masjid clerics could not be contacted as they had switched off their mobile phones. Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) officials reached the seminary and were trying to secure the release of the abducted Chinese through dialogue, it reported. Earlier, the students had abducted an alleged brothel owner and released her after a couple of days. They had also abducted and later released two police personnel.
This is another very serious act after holding policemen hostage for several weeks. I am really worried about this new trend of kidnappings. This is becoming ‘I don’t like you so I am going to kidnap you, beat the hell out of you and fix you (Islah)’. I wonder what is next? If government tries to settle this matter by force, the results could be a bloody clash and loss of life. Surely, this time a serious action will be taken.
I agree with the argument that brothels exist everywhere in today’s Pakistan. But is this the right way to do Islah? If our security and law enforcing agencies do their job properly, such incidents can never happen. Just blaming students of Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa is no good. The failure and inability of State of Pakistan to act when most needed, is equally responsible for this embarrassing situation and making us all look like a nation of extremists (both ends), illiterate ignorants and a bunch of fools.
What is Government of Pakistan is going to do? Why can’t we have a permanent solution to this embarrassment? Tough question.
axiomatic: What is that thing, that singular value system, because of which we qualify to be called Pakistanis?
I am Pakistani because I was born of Pakistani parents in Pakistan. I have a Pakistani passport. Whichever set of values I may subscribe to, I will still be a Pakistani. There is no such thing that I can do to qualify being a Pakistani.
A mosque being used as a front for Terrorist activity- super !
And come on, Chinese ‘immoral’ people- puhleeeese. If Pakistan mullah wanted Immoral activities to be stopped Hira Mandi would have been closed years ago, and don’t tell me there are no other brothels in Islamabad with Pakistani muslim women- but then that doesn’t create a controversy and make Aziz bigger than he wants to be recognized.
Musharraf’s complicity in the whole Lal Masjid drama seems quite obvious. Those, who publicly kidnap citizens and illegally occupy government property, move around giving TV interviews, holding press conferences justifying their acts, and there’s no one to touch them. How else is this possible without acquiescence from the very top?
On the other hand, one of our settled cities, Tank, has fell to the Taliban. There is no sign of government writ there. And no man can speak a word against the Taliban for fear of the lives of their families.
axiomatic , just a question to clear up any mis conceptions i might have with your last sentence.
“I think no nation deserves to exist if it hates it’s own roots this much.”
Are you saying that we have our roots in having no respect for the law , for being militant if we dont get our way, for kidnapping and brandishing women without a fair trial, for being the prosecuter/judge/jury ourselves, for being in tolerant, are those our roots ?
The thing is, it’s not their primary responsibility to speak or protest about every issue. All of us are equally responsible. And primarily, the government is responsible. If the government is not doing it, and Jama Hafsa is highlighting some of the issues in a rather crude manner as per their understanding, the question is: What are we doing? Condemning the actions of Jama Hafsa, calling them Danda Bardar and Brigade and urging the government to quash them out of existence?
I think no nation deserves to exist if it hates it’s own roots this much.