Adil Najam
UPDATE: Reports in the Pakistan media suggest that the Lal Masjid leader has finally been arrested while trying to escape wearing a burqa. According to a BBC update:
The leader of a radical mosque besieged by Pakistani security forces in Islamabad has been caught trying to escape wearing a woman’s burqa. Security forces seized Abdul Aziz as he tried to leave the Red Mosque amid a crowd of women… He was wearing a burqa that also covered his eyes,” a security official told the AFP news agency about the cleric’s escape bid. “Our men spotted his unusual demeanour. The rest of the girls looked like girls, but he was taller and had a pot belly.“
ORIGINAL POST: Things are moving fast and the showdown at Lal Masjid, Islamabad that began this morning is now ready to turn into an even more real battle. The day took the lives of at least 10 people, possibly more. These included policemen, soldiers, by-standers, a journalist, and a number of Madrassah students. (For details see our earlier post and update comments on it, here).
The latest – and this keeps changing by the minute – is that in a mid-night press conference the government has given an ultimatum to the management of the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) to surrender. There is no indication that they will. In the past things have always ended with ‘negotiated settlements.’ This time the likelihood of this happening is much less. A curfew has been imposed in the area. Tanks have been called in. So have special forces.
Metroblog Islamabad is doing a wonderful job of keeping abreast with breaking news. It reports, through Dawn TV, that 111 Brigade (Army) from Rawalpindi has already assembled around the mosque. Ambulances have been fully stocked. Hospitals are on alert. An ultimatum for time has been given (3.30 PST… NOW!). The entire area has been cordoned off.
Here is a news clip from ARYOne, broadcast earlier.
In an article written last week for The News, I had argued that inaction was not a solution and because of so many delays and policies of apeasement some confrontation was now becoming inevitable.
This episode [i.e., the Chinese massage parlor case] will further embolden the already violence-prone brigands at the two madressahs and we are likely to see an escalation in their demands as well as their tactics. Meanwhile, the government has once again demonstrated an inability and/or unwillingness to act decisively. The much-cherished ‘writ of the state’ continues to rot in tatters.
This, it seems, is what happened when earlier the Lal Masjid management incited this escalation in response to the government’s build-up of force around the mosque. In that article, I had gone on to argue that:
Just like standing still in the middle of the road at the sight of the blinding lights of a truck speeding towards it does not save the life of the stunned deer, doing nothing about this escalating crisis out of fear that doing anything will only make things worse is not going to help the government, or Pakistan. Something needs to be done, and done fast.
I had called in the article for the government to “act to judiciously dismantle militancy at Lal Masjid.” This situation has to be responded to. But the key word remains “act judiciously.” What is really important is how that action is taken. Further bloodshed should be avoided. At least minimized. One hopes that any action is intelligent action and all steps are taken to minimize loss of life. Not just because one does not wish to create needless ‘martyrs.’ Much more so because all life – and everyone’s life – is precious.
The technologies to undertake low casualty offensives are available. The will and sagacity to do so is needed. The test for the government – acting with force in the very center of the Federal Capital – is not only what it does, but how it does it.
Photo credit: Associated Press, B.K. Bangash.
Some people say Govt. delayed the resolution and thats why so many innocent lives are at stake.
Why no one is thinking about the ignorance on part of LM/JH.It is still very easy for boots to take over the compound and finish the drama.i wonder what would have NS or BB or any other politicians done in crisis like this?Media should stop giving aunty rashid anymore time to make his pov heard.cuz there is none.
Why names like waco massacre,beslan school massacre,moscow theater massacre, are stuck in my head since yesterday.Allah Khair karray.
what quaid wanted was a perfect state where the citizens enjoy their life according to their religious beliefs and ethnic background.And i cant think of any better system then Laws defined in The Quran and by God.
Pakistan banNay kay baad Quaid e Azaam ke jaib main kuch khotay sikKay hee bachay thai aur yeh moulaana hazrat un main say kuch hain.
nuf said
Six soldiers were martyred in a suicide attack on a military convoy at Chakdara near Malakand in North West Frontier Province.
According to reports a Major, a Captain and four other soldiers were martyred in the attack on Friday.
Security forces have cordoned off the area and investigating into the incident.
from here
People – It does not smell good.
The drop scene of the Lal Masjid drama has NOT happened yet. Perhaps we were celebrating too early – couple of days ago when the Burqa clad Maulana Aziz was caught.
To me it appears that there are hard core militants in the Lal Masjid area and it would not be a surprise to find, in addition to Lashkar Jhangwi / Jaish Mohammed fighters, that there are some Arabic speaking fighters and an Al Qaidi link is established.
With hundreds of people including women and children holed up in the seminary, I suspect the casualties will be serious and in brutal conditions.
This will lead to reactions from other simnaries and militant groups.
Did anyone pickup the news about anti aircraft fire on Musharaf’s plane this morning???
I am a bit surprised why Musharaf has left the capital for Balochistan – the stand off at Lal Masjid very much on.
Lets hope for some good news, but to me, it looks like the situation is moving from bad to worse.
jnz
If you actually met Nawaz Sharif in person you would think how could a GOON like this be Pakistans PM TWICE, the man does not even know where he is most of the time and he will make any statement that will make himself look good and others bad.
Do not take this goon seriously – he will inshallah never be in a position of ‘ownership’ of Pakistanis or Pakistan again!
hypocrisy of people like ayaz amir is equally as dangerous as the stupidity of the jehadis. ayaz amir is saying that nawaz sharif, whose party ayaz amir was member of, would not have tolerated jehadis. can someone please point to me what specific steps did nawaz sharif take to tackle jehadis responsible for the following:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/248365 .stm
“Gunmen in Pakistan have opened fire on a mosque near the central city of Multan, killing at least 14 people and wounding others.
The attack happened just after morning prayers for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan….”
in fact jehadi violence under nawaz sharif got so bad that even a dolt like him realised that something had to be done. days after announcing on tv that he would crackdown on sectarian violence, nawaz sharif narrowly missed getting killed by a bomb planted on the route of his motorcade. next day, nawaz sharif made peace with the jehadis. all the details are available on the net. bbc link above mentions attack on nawaz.
as for lal masjid leaders being paper tigers and therefore not being dangerous, that same accusation can be made against all recent leaders claiming to be defenders of islam. taliban, bin laden and saddam claimed to have the ability to take on the americans and in fact egged on the americans to attack. when americans came a-calling, how did these brave leaders fight and how long did they last? these brave leaders did exactly what maulana aziz did. all these leaders headed for the hills leaving their followers to take the brunt of daisy cutters.
after american victory, people like ayaz amir also accused the likes of bin laden, saddam, taliban, 9-11 hijackers of being american agents and conspiracy theories were created about american desire to control oil and to subjugate the islamic world. the fact that conspiracy theories find such fertile ground in the minds of our educated people is the true indication of the level of jahalath prevailing in pakistan and in the wider islamic world. change cannot happen in an environment where people refuse to accept reality.