Adil Najam
The news is developing by the moment. But the bottom-line is clear. The security forces have taken control of the Lal Masjid from militants after a severe gun-battle. But the story is far from over.
It will continue to unfold. There are too many unanswered questions. They will certainly be asked and discussed threadbare; here at ATP and elsewhere. But the real story of tomorrow remains the same as the real story of yesterday. Can a society that is so deeply divided against itself learn the lessons of tolerance? This question will continue to haunt us well into the future, in multiple shapes, in multiple forms, in multiple contexts.
This is a question that we at ATP have confronted from our very beginning and will continue to confront. But now is not the time to ponder on this. Even though what has happened had become inevitable over the last many days, I am too heartbroken to be able to do so.
Right now I can think only of Muzammil Shah (photo, from Associated Press, above). This photo was taken as he waited for his son who was inside the Lal Masjid. I do not know whether his son was there voluntarily, or as hostage. But I do know what the look of Muzammil Shah’s face means. The more important question is whether his son came out alive or not. I pray that he did.
Analysts – me included – will discuss what happened at length. They will try to understand the meaning of all this. What does this mean for Pakistan politics? What does this mean for Gen. Musharraf’s future? What does this mean for Islam? For Democracy? Does the fault lie with Abdul Rashid Ghazi and his militant supporters for creating a situation that could only end this way? Why did he not surrender? Is the blood of everyone who died not on his head for his stubboness and arrogance? Or, maybe, it is the government that is to blame because it did not act earlier? Act differently? Waited just a few days more for a negotiated solution?
Right now all these questions seem really petty and small. This is not the time for scoring cheap political points. This is not the time for spin.
Moreover, there are too many questions to ask. To answer. The head hurts as you think of them. But the heart hurts even more as you look at the face of Muzammil Shah.
Maybe the only really important question is the one that you can read between his wrinkles: “Why? Oh God, why? Why must things happen this way?”
I know onething, Pakistan and Pakistan armed forces have lost once again. They were confronted by their own creations once again and none of those idiocrats (pardon my language)admits and try to learn from it.
I wish students in our educational institutions refuse to create/join groups for RIGHT cause when intelligence and religious parties approach them.
I just wonder if Pakistan is still an independent country or a nation under occupation of PakArmy that always have people of zero vision at the top.
Agreed totally. The mother of all evil plans.
Next Target: Binori Mosque, Karachi – it has got its own set of burqa/heels wearing mullahs that need an express ticket to oblivion…
I want to write a lot of things and I want to read a lot of things , the pictures from TV , the
sound of a Person telling the world that he is about to die and and that he just helped his mother recite a Kalma , the confusion as to who is Yazeed here and who is Hussein. liberal left in me says the bloody mullahs , the right in me says the bloody army , and the Pakistani in me just wants to cry and cry, ironic as it is, I want to quote Shujaat ” itni mayoosi kabhi nahin hui ” I am afraid the Pakistani in me is what is hurt and may die . I am tired , really tired , those of you who can box things into one or the other you r a fortunate, please dont think for this confusion is aching. many of you seem so sure about this or that and here I am , feel direction less, questioning every thing that i know and every thing that i see , There are no winners and losers or may be all are loosers . Shahbaash Captain Salman and Col Haroon for you stood for what you beleive in or no may be shahabash Ghazi for you sacrificed all your family. Shaabash sub log. and special thanks to Mush and his team for restricting this
Bloddy Media for I would have seen the hundreds of kids dead in the hospital . Why do i want to see all this, If they were not there like there was no one in waziristan I would not have seen anything and it would not hurt at all. After all we dont know a lot and it doesn’t matter. OHH I found my answer , i need some one to blame, ill blame the media for showing all this. They are the ones that trying to wake us all up, why do we want to wake we want to sleep , dont wake us up, yes it is the media, let me blame the media, oh now i feel better, now i am not crying . now i see things very clear, it is the media , Oh now i see why restrictions are necessary ” for national interest” for the nation needs to keep sleeping,
and last shaabash sote Raho sathio, sote raho, yehi accha hain, Jago ge to karb hi karb haye
I apolgise for this but i need to clear things, no need to comment on tthese thought for sote rehna hi behtart haye
This is for Social Mistri … Pakistan is an Islamic State, whatever President did was not bad but this was not the way to do it. I would say the Government had more than 4 months to take this matter into hand and would have done better jobs than this… I am living in US and coming to topics with Christians like you guys Hate us that we bomb your MOSQUE in Iraq, now what are you guys doing there in your homeland… All I want to say is this JO HOGAYA SO HOGAYA… Now Ghazi is dead Aziz is Arrested is Pakistan safe future Islamic Radicals invasion like Lal Masjid… Would Government prevent killing of innocent islamic students who has been brained washed to become in the will of the same government who calls them TERRORIST…
Say NO TO VIOLENCE… BUS KARDO
I hope our ISLAM and our Pakistan will be saved by those like Ghazi/Aziz/Musharaff