Daily Times : Govt had reports about Lal Masjid weapons: minister

Govt had reports about Lal Masjid weapons: minister

Daily Times Monitor | July 14, 2007

LAHORE: Intelligence agencies had been informing the government that Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa were involved in illegal activities and were gathering weapons, but the government delayed action to avoid collateral damage, Federal Education Minister Javed Ashraf Qazi told Geo TV on Friday.

Only two gunship helicopters could have demolished Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa, but that could have ended up in massive loss of lives, he added.

The minister said militants had booby-trapped the madrassa, adding only trained people could install such traps. Qazi rejected various claims that there were no weapons inside the mosque. “Who killed 10 commandos if there were no armed militants inside the Lal Masjid. Trenches in Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa reveal that the madrassa administration had been preparing to fight the army,” he said.

Human rights activist Asma Jehangir justified the action, but said the government used brutal force and killed many innocent citizens.