IRNA : Lawyers say Lal Masjid operation launched to divert attention

Lawyers say Lal Masjid operation launched to divert attention

Islamabad, July 14, IRNA

Lawyers in Pakistan Saturday accused the government of "killing many people for political motives" to divert attention from the judicial crisis.

The Pakistan Bar Council, the major lawyers group in country, demanded judicial inquiry of the operation and to determine as to who were responsible of the operation.

In a meeting the Council also called for exact figures of those died, injured and missing persons during the operation.

The Council said that President Musharraf, with the help of intelligence agencies, had taken the issue of Lal Masjid to a point to convince the world that he is the only man in Pakistan to counter extremists.

The PBC described the operation as 'cruel' and said it was conducted to seek Western support.

"The Lal Masjid operation shows incompetence of Musharraf's government".

The Council alleged that the government is telling lie about the exact figures of casualties, especially the deaths of women and children.

"The government had restricted coverage on independent media to hide exact figures," it said.

The PBC questioned as to how Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa was converted center of extremists as the buildings are located near the headquarters of spy agency ISI.

"Why did the government agencies allow the compound to be made a fort?"
The Council said that Imam of the mosque was a government employee but he had succeeded to 'establish a state within a state'.

"Judicial inquiry is a must to seek answers to these questions," it said.