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?”
Pakistan is a sad, sad country.
Pakistan’s army has fought more wars against its own people than possibly any army in the world –Lahore (1953), Tribal areas (1954), Balochistan (1960), East Pakistan (1971), Balochistan (1974-1977), Tribal Areas (1984-86), Sindh (1983-1985), Karachi (1992-1998), Tribal Areas (2003-2007), Balochistan (2005-2007), now Islamabad (2007).
They ask for the surrender of Pakistanis every time but have a track record of surrendering before the Indians (1971) and Americans (1953-2007).
Shame on the Pakistan army.
in above comment the first lines were quoted from Adils blog.
i.e.
“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.”
Adil
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.
It is so strange that such learned and respected analysts think politics cheap. This shows how military dictatorship over the years have affected even highly educated people psychlology. That’s why in every important matter to this nation politicians are always kept away , look at the issue of Lal Masjid , CJP even Earthquake. Politics is cheap , scoring political points is cheap , politician are cheap and then naturally dictator are ok.
I am not sure why in US Democrats and other scholars/analsyts think scoring political points on Iraq issue as cheap , and opposition in Britain/analysts/scholars think scoring political points as cheap.
A/C to unauthentic news,ghazi’s mother has left this world.
@Abrar: We have made fun of the term “Shaheed”. when ZAB and MQM terrorists could be declared shaheed then anyone could be called shaheed.
There should be an independent inquiry into how this operation was handled by international organizations to set the record straight. I don’t think justice will be served but at least an inquiry will not stain the history books with the false information that comes out of Pak Army’s ranks.