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?”
If ever a movie is made on what happened in the Lal Masjid it should be named “Ziddi Maulvi”
A number of commenters have mentioned the Dawn report about Abdul Sattar Edhi’s coments about the last negotiations with the Lal Masjid leadership. In all the spin floating around as the vultures swoop down to use this for their own petty points, Edhi Sahib’s words are amongst the few that are creditable. It is a poignant report, and worth reading in full. Especially because it comes from a man of such undisputed integrity and without any axe to grind.
Here is the report in full.
Hassan
I was not aware that you have already conducted a poll and found majority supporting the killings. Only time will tell what majority thinks about this massacre. I have no problem with evacuation of the compound and seizure of all weapons but feel sorry for the hundreds who got killed from both sides. By the way all the so called religous parties had disowned the two brothers for their militant tactics including Dr Israr.
I wish Musharraf deal with MQM thugs in similar fashion. He will never do that since his objective is to please his masters and prolong his rule. The very idea that Musharraf did the operation to eradicate religous extremism is naive since they have been active right under the nose of ISI headquarters in Islamabad.
@Bilal , in my opinion there are two types of urbanite liberals one I call EME (Enlightened Moderated Extremists) and other common liberals. EME are just like fanatic mullah albiet due to opposite reasons. EME’s are as happy to kill a mullah as a mullah will be happy to kill an infidel (EME). However the purpose of this operation was not to scare those liberals (EME), it was actually to scare the common liberals.
symk
I guess you missed out the most important set of people who are glad that the criminals and gangster at Lal Masjid have been removed (but sad at loss of innocent lives that Abdul Rashid caused)…. THE MAJORITY OF CITIZENS FO PAKISTAN
You also left out who would have preferred the Lal Masjid gang to keep going on with their kidnappings, their extortionand their ghunda gardi and turning a mosque into a den of sin:
1. Terrorists and extremists everywhere who were helping the Lal Masjid in supplying them arms and technique to brainwash innocent young boys and girls.
2. Bigots and Islamophoics who loved the Lal Masjod because every week it gave them some way of proving their case about how there is something wrong about Islam.
3. Enemies of Pakistan who loved to see Lal Masjid dismantle state and society.
So, go ahead and choose your side. I know which one I am on.