Dawn : CHRONOLOGY-Months of turmoil for Pakistan's Musharraf

CHRONOLOGY-Months of turmoil for Pakistan's Musharraf

Islamabad, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Beleaguered President Pervez Musharraf announced his resignation on Monday in the face of an impending impeachment motion by Pakistan's ruling coalition government. The former army chief and firm U.S. ally had seen his popularity slide over the past 18 months and had been isolated since his parliamentary allies lost a February general election. Here is a chronology of recent events that led to the downfall of Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup in December 1999 and became president in 2001.

March 9, 2007 - Musharraf suspends Supreme Court Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry over allegations of misconduct. Lawyers rally around the top judge and Musharraf's popularity plummets.

July 10 - Musharraf orders troops to storm the Red Mosque in Islamabad to crush a Taliban-style movement there. At least 105 people are killed. Militant attacks and suicide bombings follow.

July 20 - Supreme Court reinstates Chief Justice Chaudhry, dealing a blow to Musharraf's authority.

July 27 - Musharraf meets former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in Abu Dhabi for inconclusive talks on how to move the country towards a civilian-led democracy. Bhutto demands Musharraf step down as army chief.

Sept 10 - Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is arrested at Islamabad airport on his arrival from exile, despite the Supreme Court clearing his return. He is deported to Saudi Arabia.

Oct 2 - Musharraf's government announces it will drop graft charges against Bhutto, clearing the way for her return.

Oct 6 - Musharraf wins a presidential vote by legislators.

Supreme Court holds off confirming legality of vote.

Oct 19 - Suicide bomber tries to assassinate Bhutto in Karachi as she returns from eight years of exile.

Nov 2 - Supreme Court meets to decide if Musharraf was eligible to stand for re-election while still army chief.

Nov 3 - Musharraf imposes emergency rule, detaining thousands of opposition politicians and lawyers.

Nov 11 - Musharraf says parliamentary elections will be held by Jan. 8.

Nov 13 - Bhutto is placed under house arrest for a week in Lahore, hours before planned march against emergency rule.

Bhutto says Musharraf must quit as president.

Nov 15 - Musharraf appoints Senate chairman Mohammadmian Soomro to head a caretaker line-up to oversee elections.

Nov 22 - Commonwealth suspends Pakistan.

Nov 25 - Sharif returns from exile.

Nov 28 - Tearful Musharraf hands command of the army to General Ashfaq Kayani.

Nov 29 - Musharraf is sworn in as civilian leader.

Dec 15 - Musharraf lifts state of emergency, restores constitution.

Dec 27 - Bhutto is assassinated in a gun and bomb attack.

Jan 2 - Election delayed from Jan 8 to Feb 18 because of disturbances after Bhutto's assassination.

Feb 18 - Resounding election victory for parties led by Bhutto's widower Asif Ali Zardari (Pakistan People's Party) and Sharif (Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz)). Analysts say Musharraf may be driven out.

March 9 - Sharif says he will join Zardari to form a coalition hostile to Musharraf.

Aug 7 - Ruling coalition says it will launch proceedings to impeach Musharraf.

Aug 16 - Pakistan's ruling coalition prepares impeachment charges against Musharraf focusing on violation of the constitution and misconduct.

Aug 18 - Musharraf announces resignation.

Guardian : Violent clashes as Red Mosque reopens

Violent clashes as Red Mosque reopens

Associated Press | Guardian Unlimited | July 27, 2007

Police fired teargas at hundreds of religious students who occupied Islamabad's Red Mosque today, two weeks after an army siege that left more than 100 dead.

Protesters demanding the return of a pro-Taliban cleric threw stones at an armoured personnel carrier and at dozens of police in riot gear on a road outside the mosque.

Police used teargas to scatter the crowd after protesters ignored their appeals. They fled back inside the mosque compound. A voice on the mosque loudspeaker, of which a small group of religious students appeared to be in control, urged the protesters not to attack the security forces, but the situation remained tense.

The clashes spoiled a government attempt to reopen the mosque, which was stormed by the army on July 10 after its pro-Taliban clerics had launched an anti-vice campaign. The government had turned a blind eye until militants seized seven Chinese nationals, precipitating a bloody raid on the mosque.

Earlier, security forces stood by as protesters clambered on to the mosque's roof and daubed red paint on the walls after forcing the retreat of a government-appointed cleric who was assigned to lead Friday prayers.

The protesters demanded the return of the mosque's former chief cleric, Abdul Aziz, who was in government detention, and shouted slogans against the president, General Pervez Musharraf.

"Musharraf is a dog! He is worse than a dog! He should resign!" students shouted.

In an act of defiance against the authorities repainting the mosque this week in pale yellow, protesters wrote "Lal Masjid" (Red Mosque) in large Urdu script on the mosque's dome.

They also raised a black flag with two crossed swords, meant to symbolise jihad, or holy war.

The crowd also shouted support for the mosque's former deputy cleric, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who led the siege until he was shot dead by security forces after refusing to surrender.

Pakistan's Geo television showed scenes of pandemonium inside the mosque, with dozens of young men in traditional Islamic clothing and prayer caps shouting angrily and punching the air with their hands.

Officials were pushed and shoved by men in the crowd.

Maulana Ashfaq Ahmed, a senior cleric from another mosque in the city who was assigned by the government to lead Friday's prayers, was quickly escorted from the mosque as protesters gestured angrily at him.

Today's attempted reopening of the mosque was meant to help cool anger over the siege, which triggered a flare-up in militant attacks on security forces across Pakistan.

However, there was still public scepticism over the government's accounting of how many people died in the siege, with many still claiming that a large number of children and religious students were among the dead.

At least 102 people were killed in the violence. Attacks by militants in north-western Pakistan along the border with Afghanistan have surged since the siege, killing about 200 others in suicide bombings and clashes, many of them security forces.

Albany Times-Union : Explosion heard near Pakistan mosque

Explosion heard near Pakistan mosque

By SADAQAT JAN, Associated Press | July 27, 2007

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- A large explosion went off near Islamabad's Red Mosque on Friday, officials said. Local media reported several people died.

The explosion happened at a market area about a quarter mile from the mosque, where religious students clashed earlier in the day with security forces.

Ambulances were rushing to the scene of the explosion. Police said they were investigating. Dawn reported that seven people had died.

Hundreds of religious students occupied Islamabad's Red Mosque on Friday and clashed with security forces, demanding the return of a pro-Taliban cleric two weeks after a bloody army siege left more than 100 people dead.

Hundreds of protesters threw stones at an armored personnel carrier and dozens of police in riot gear on a road outside the mosque. After protesters disregarded police calls to disperse peacefully, police fired tear gas, scattering the crowd on the road.

Earlier, security forces stood by as protesters clambered onto the roof of the mosque and daubed red paint on the walls after forcing a government-appointed cleric assigned to lead Friday prayers to retreat.

The protesters demanded the return of the mosque's pro-Taliban former chief cleric, Abdul Aziz -- who is in government detention -- and shouted slogans against President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Later a cleric from a seminary associated with the mosque led the prayers.

"Musharraf is a dog! He is worse than a dog! He should resign!" students shouted. Some lingered over the ruins of a neighboring girls' seminary that was demolished by authorities this week. Militants had used the seminary to resist government forces involved in the siege.

The mosque's clerics had used the mosque's thousands of students in an aggressive campaign to impose Taliban-style Islamic law in the capital. The campaign, which included kidnapping alleged Chinese prostitutes and threatening suicide attacks to defend the fortified mosque, raised concern about the spread of Islamic extremism in Pakistan.

Militants holed up in the mosque compound for a week before government troops launched their assault on July 10, leaving it pocked with bullet holes and damaged by explosions. At least 102 people were killed in the violence.

In an act of defiance to authorities' repainting of the mosque this week in pale yellow, protesters wrote "Lal Masjid" or "Red Mosque" in large Urdu script on the dome of the mosque. They also rose a black flag with two crossed swords -- meant to symbolize jihad, or holy war.

The crowd also shouted support for the mosque's former deputy cleric, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who led the siege until he was shot dead by security forces after refusing to surrender. Before that, Ghazi was the public face of a vigilante, Islamic anti-vice campaign that had challenged the government's writ in the Pakistani capital.

"Ghazi your blood will lead to a revolution," the protesters chanted.

Armed police stood by on the street outside the mosque, but did not enter the courtyard where the demonstration was taking place.

Islamabad commissioner Khalid Pervez said police forces did not want to go inside the mosque in case it led to a clash with protesters, but maintained the situation was under control. He said the reaction of Aziz's supporters was understandable and predicted things would calm down.

Over mosque loudspeakers, protesters vowed to "take revenge for the blood of martyrs."

In a speech at the mosque's main entrance, Liaqat Baloch, deputy leader of a coalition of hard-line religious parties, the Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal, condemned Musharraf as a "killer" and declared there would be an Islamic revolution in Pakistan.

"Maulana Abdul Aziz is still the prayer leader of the mosque. The blood of martyrs will bear fruit. This struggle will reach its destination of an Islamic revolution. Musharraf is a killer of the constitution. He's a killer of male and female students. The entire world will see him hang," Baloch said.

Pakistan's Geo television showed scenes of pandemonium inside the mosque, with dozens of young men in traditional Islamic clothing and prayers caps shouting angrily and punching the air with their hands.

Officials were pushed and shoved by men in the crowd. One man picked up shoes left outside the mosque door and hurled them at news crews recording the scene.

Maulana Ashfaq Ahmed, a senior cleric from another mosque in the city who was assigned by the government to lead the prayers, was quickly escorted from the complex, as protesters waved angry gestures at him.

Wahajat Aziz, a government worker who was among the protesters, said officials were too hasty in reopening the mosque.

"They brought an imam that people had opposed in the past," he said. "This created tension in the environment. People's emotions have not cooled down yet."

Security was tightened in Islamabad ahead of the mosque's reopening, with extra police taking up posts around the city and airport-style metal detectors put in place at the mosque entrance used to screen worshippers for weapons.

In the southwestern city of Quetta, meanwhile, gunmen opened fire on the vehicle of the official spokesman for a provincial government in Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan, killing him, police said.

Raziq Bugti, spokesman and special adviser to the chief minister of Baluchistan province, died at the scene after unknown assailants fired a barrage of shots as he drove past a school in Quetta, said Javid Ahmed, a local police officer.

The attackers fled, Ahmed said.

Baluchistan has experienced scores of attacks on military and government targets, most blamed on ethnic Baluch tribesmen and nationalist groups who are demanding the central government grant more royalties and control over resources, such as natural gas, extracted from the province.

The region has also been used by Taliban militants to launch attacks across the border on Afghan and foreign troops. Local officials have denied that al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and Taliban chief Mullah Omar are hiding in Baluchistan.

Musharraf has angrily rejected claims by Afghan President Hamid Karzai that Omar was living in Quetta, insisting that the Taliban leader was in Afghanistan's neighboring Kandahar province.

Reuters : Pakistan reopens battle-battered Red Mosque

Pakistan reopens battle-battered Red Mosque

By Zeeshan Haider | July 26, 2007

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan reopened Islamabad's Red Mosque for prayers on Thursday, three weeks after it was battered by fierce clashes between security forces and Islamist militants in which scores of people were killed.

Pakistani security forces laid siege to the sprawling mosque complex on July 3, before launching a full-scale assault a week later after followers of radical clerics running a Taliban-style movement from there refused to surrender.

The government said 102 people were killed in fighting when security forces stormed the complex, which also houses a madrasa, or Islamic school, for women.

Known as Lal Masjid or Red Mosque for its red bricks, the complex will emerge from the renovation painted cream and white.

The mosque's walls, peppered with bullet holes, have been repaired while the battle-scarred women's madrasa was razed because it was structurally unsafe, according to the government.

Big cranes were being used to remove rubble and tents were erected in the mosque courtyard for mass midday prayers on Friday.

However, bullet scars on trees in and around the mosque and a gutted building of the Ministry of Environment across from the complex were stark reminders of the fierce battles fought in the centre of the capital.

"We hope that such tragic incidents do not recur in our country," Mohammad Ejaz-ul-Haq, Minister for Religious Affairs, told reporters after attending the first prayers in the mosque since the assault.

Lal Masjid, built in the 1960s, had turned into a headquarters of Islamic radicals during the military rule of Minister Haq's father, General Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq, in the 1980s when Muslim fighters from all over the world flocked to Pakistan to fight the Soviet invasion of neighbouring Afghanistan.

It hit international headlines this year when burqa-clad female and male followers linked to the complex launched an aggressive campaign to impose Taliban-style religious culture in Islamabad.

They kidnapped women they accused of involvement in prostitution, abducted police, attacked music shops, and seized a government library to press for reconstruction of mosques demolished by the government for being built illegally.

Haq said the government had promised before the assault that it would rebuild the demolished mosques, and it would abide by its commitment.

"I want to tell religious scholars and clerics that this government respects mosques and madrasas," he said.

After the assault, President Pervez Musharraf, an important ally of the United States in its war on terror, vowed not to allow mosques or madrasas like the Lal Masjid and its school to be used to spread militancy.

The government has appointed a soft-spoken imam in the mosque in a move seen as neutralising influence of the radical clerics.

Reuters : Pakistan razes madrasa in militant mosque complex

Pakistan razes madrasa in militant mosque complex

By Zeeshan Haider | JulY 25, 2007

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani authorities are demolishing a battle-scarred Islamic madrasa in Islamabad's Red Mosque complex, where scores of people were killed in an army assault this month, officials said on Wednesday.

Pakistan army commandos stormed the Lal Masjid or Red Mosque and adjoining Jamia Hafsa seminary for women on July 10, after followers of radical clerics running a Taliban-style movement from the complex refused to surrender.

Authorities say the government decided to raze the four-storey madrasa as its structure had been badly weakened by the fierce battles in the compound between security forces and the militants.

"We are demolishing the madrasa because technically it is very dangerous to sustain it," said Kamran Lashari, head of the city municipality.

"The demolition is going on and it will be completed in three to four days," he added.

However, the government had no plans to demolish the mosque, and it was being renovated to be reopened for prayers on Friday.

Lal Masjid had long been known as an Islamic radicals' stronghold, but hit international headlines this year when burqa-clad female students of Jamia Hafsa and male colleagues from the mosque complex launched an aggressive campaign to impose Taliban-style religious culture in Islamabad.

They kidnapped women they accused of involvement in prostitution, abducted police and attacked music shops.

They also seized a government library adjacent to the complex to press for their demands for reconstruction of mosques that had been illegally built on state land and subsequently demolished.

The government said 102 people were killed in eight days of fighting when security forces stormed the complex.

After the assault, President Pervez Musharraf, an important ally of the United States in its war on terror, vowed not to allow mosques or madrasas like the Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa to be used to spread militancy.

The mosque's firebrand cleric, Abdul Aziz, was caught fleeing disguised as a woman in the early stages of the siege, while his younger brother and deputy, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, was killed during the assault.

The government has appointed a soft-spoken cleric as the new imam of the mosque in what is seen as a move to neutralise radicals' influence.

The new cleric, Ashfaq Ahmed, said he supported the cause of his predecessors but differed with their strategy.

"Their demands for implementation of an Islamic system and reconstruction of demolished mosques were genuine and correct. But we differed with their line of action and that's why such a tragic incident has taken place," said the cleric, a graduate from an Islamic university in Saudi Arabia.

© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.

Dawn : Suicide blast kills four in Pakistan tribal area

Suicide blast kills four in Pakistan tribal area

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan, July 20

A suicide bomber killed three civilians and a soldier at a checkpost in North Waziristan tribal area on Friday, the latest in a wave of attacks across the country, security officials said.

“There was a suicide attack at a paramilitary checkpost in North Waziristan today.

Four people were killed -- three civilians and one soldier -- and six injured, including three soldiers,” a senior security official told AFP.

The attack came a day after three suicide blasts in several areas of the country killed at least 51 people in apparent revenge for last week's raid on the pro-Taliban Lal Masjid in Islamabad.

(AFP)

The News : Lawyers blame govt for Islamabad blast

Lawyers blame govt for Islamabad blast

Say CJ was target; rule out suicide bombing

By Sohail Khan

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Bar Association and the Pakistan Bar Council on Wednesday alleged that the tragic incident that took place on the occasion of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s scheduled address to the Islamabad Bar Association wherein 16 people were killed and 40 injured, was engineered by the government to target the chief justice.

Addressing a joint press conference here at Supreme Court building, Vice Chairman Pakistan Bar Council Aziz Akbar Baig refuted the claim of the government that it was a suicide bomb blast and said that it was a conspiracy to target Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. ìIt was an attack by the government and not a suicide attack,î he added.

Munir A Malik, President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Ali Ahmed Kurd of Pakistan Bar Council and Syed Qalbe-Hassan, member Pakistan Bar Council, were also present on the occasion.

Elaborating his point of view, Baig said that they had announced that Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry would arrive at the venue at 8.30 pm. It was significant that the bomb blast occurred exactly at 8.30 pm.

Soon after the blast, shots were also heard. He claimed that the chief justice was scheduled to arrive at the venue right at 8.30 pm. However, the president of the Islamabad Bar Association came late to receive the chief justice at his residence and later, after offering Maghrib prayers, they proceeded to the venue. When they reached near Marriott Hotel, they received information about the bomb blast.

Later, they took the CJ to the Supreme Court Bar Association office at the Supreme Court building to decide whether to proceed to the venue or not. However, the chief justice stressed for moving to the venue and later they moved to the spot and only offered Fateha for the people killed in the blast instead of addressing the Bar.

He said that in a suicide attack, the upper parts of the bodies are mostly destroyed. However, in this particular attack, the lower parts of the bodies were dismembered, which proved that it was not a suicide attack.

Aziz Akbar Baig said that the government’s move was aimed at sabotaging the movement of the lawyersí community for the independence of judiciary. However, he pledged that their movement would continue in all circumstances.

Ali Ahmed Kurd, speaking on the occasion, said that by conducting the blast on the occasion, the government had tried to send a bloody message to the lawyers’ community. ìWe accept this message and vow to continue our movement and would never betray the confidence of the people,î Kurd said.

Munir A Malik said that the blast was not a reaction of the Lal Masjid operation but it was an attempt to attack the chief justice. He said the camp set up inside the ‘Pindaal’ from where the CJ was scheduled to enter was targeted.

He said that they were responsible for the security measures inside the ‘Pindaal’, while security outside the venue was the responsibility of the government. However he alleged that the government had failed to ensure security measures outside the venue. Syed Qalbe Hassan, member Pakistan Bar Council, quoting a doctor of a local hospital, claimed that beds had already been arranged in the hospitals before the blast.

NDTV : Lal Masjid: Search on for the missing

Lal Masjid: Search on for the missing

Yusra Askari | July 20, 2007

(Islamabad) -- It's been a week since the bloodshed at the Lal Masjid. Yet the desperate search continues for hundreds of students, who surrendered in the midst of the standoff, but have not been heard of since then.

''My child Shafiq Ahmed surrendered on Wednesday. He called us up at home to say that he is being taken to the Aadiyala prison. After that we have not heard from him at all,'' said Abdul Ghani, Ahmed's father.

According to estimates, 150 children, mainly girls, have gone missing.

The NGOs, who are receiving surrendered students, say they can only work on the basis of information given to them by the government.

''We prepare a list of all the missing children who come to us and our information desk helps them out.

''There are representatives of the AC and DC who help in handing over these children to their parents,'' said a volunteer of the Khubaib Foundation.

Innocent victims

Many blame radical cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi for refusing to stand down and give innocent children a safe passage.

''These children come from poor homes; where there is no television and not even enough to eat. These innocent children are brainwashed here and used for all purposes,'' he said.

Operation Silence may well have ended but still unknown are the whereabouts of many madrassa children. As the search for them continues, questions regarding their fate still remain unanswered.

Online News : Suicide bombings not a reaction of lal Masjid operation: IDBA

Suicide bombings not a reaction of lal Masjid operation: IDBA

July 19, 2007

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad District Bar Association (IDBA) has strongly condemned the recent suicide blast in district court Islamabad, and has scoffed at government’s theory of involvement of lal Masjid.

In an emergency meeting held in the Bar room, and convened by president IDBA, advocate Haroon-ul-Rashid, the secretary general, advocate Syed Muhammad Tayyab floated a resolution strongly condemning yesterday’s suicide bombing, and demanded an immediate open judicial enquiry about the gory incident.

The resolution also maintained that such acts cannot weaken the efforts of lawyers’ movement.

The lawyers also announced that the incident was not a suicide blast, but rather the bomb was placed on site, while the motorbike found destroyed belonged to a deceased Tariq Abbasi.

The lawyers also denounced all the official comments and analysis as trite beyond limits, since the deceased and wounded were mere innocent persons, having no enmity, but were rather gathered to hear the speech of CJ, and express their solidarity with him.

Marxist dot com : Pakistan: the Storming of the Red Mosque - When Chickens come home to Roost

Pakistan: the Storming of the Red Mosque - When Chickens come home to Roost

By Adam Pal | Friday, 13 July 2007

The bloody carnage in Islamabad on 10th July is another episode in the drama of Pakistan. A state weakened by internal crisis and economic collapse is fighting a fierce but futile battle with its own Frankenstein monster, Islamic fundamentalism. The mullahs - also a weakened force - are attempting to divert the attention of the masses away from their miseries, sorrows and sufferings into the blind ally of religious fanaticism.

The deepening internal crisis of the Pakistan state spilled onto streets when the lawyers vowed to fight against the military dictator for dismissing the Chief Justice. While the pillars of state were fighting with each other, the clerics in Lal Masjid (the Red Mosque) Islamabad challenged the regime, indicating that they would not let their perks and prestige go easily and will fight to reassert their lost authority.

Operation Silence

The confrontation started in January this year when the Capital Development Authority started demolishing mosques and madrassahs (Islamic schools) illegally built on public land. In 2006 more than 60 madrassahs were built in Islamabad alone. This mushrooming growth of religious institutions alarmed the government which is now a key ally of US imperialism in its "War on Terror". The same Pakistani State and Pakistan Army was once a key Ally of the US and its Taliban stooges in their Jihad against the Soviet army in Afghanistan.

When the authorities started demolishing mosques the clerics resisted in the whole country and used religious fervour to challenge the writ of the state. The Lal Masjid, which was built in the General Ayub era (1958-68), launched a campaign against these demolitions and the female students of adjoining Jamia Hafsa wearing the burqa (veil) came out with batons in their hands and captured a nearby children's Library.

All this was happening only a few minutes' walk from the President's residence and the National Assembly. Also the Lal Masjid is next door to the Headquarters of the ISI (Pakistan Intelligence Agency), many officers of which used to say their prayers at Lal Masjid.

This mosque was the centre of the Afghan Jihad in the 1980s and most of the militants who went to Afghanistan to fight the Soviet army were trained there. This place was also at the hub of all economic transactions made during this period.

The government, weakened by its sharpening internal contradictions, hesitated for a long time. They feared that any attempt to silence the mullahs in the Red Mosque would lead to the revealing of secrets behind the state sponsorship of fundamentalism. The cowardice shown by the state in this business was an expression of its desire to conceal its role and the role of its secret services in encouraging the fundamentalists. These vacillations allowed the clerics to take an aggressive stance. Abdul Aziz Ghazi, the head of Lal Masjid, his wife Ume Hassan and his brother Abdul Rashid Ghazi took full advantage of the state's impotence and came out to impose their reactionary agenda on the common people of Islamabad.

In their first attack female students completely covered by the veil and carrying batons kidnapped "Auntie" Shamim, a woman who supplied prostitutes to the gentlemen in the higher echelons of power. These sexually frustrated veiled women kept "Auntie" Shamim for three days and interrogated her about sexual experiences. This reveals the sickness of the fundamentalist and reactionary people who are living inside the madrassahs throughout the country.

In the face of these blatant provocations the government displayed a total inability to check these hooligans who viciously intimidated the local population, closing down shops selling videos and music. They were even allowed to kidnap police personnel and then set all music and video CDs on fire in the nearby shops in order to impose their reactionary agenda.

Displaying their total impotence and lack of political authority to the entire country, the government tried everything in its power to calm down the Ghazi brothers at Lal Masjid by negotiation, but the latter remained adamant. They replied defiantly that Lal Masjid could only be demolished over their dead bodies.

The situation reached its climax when the veiled hoodlums of Islamabad kidnapped three Chinese working in a nearby saloon. Musharraf, now pressurized by the Chinese Government, had no other option but to put an end to this hypocritical drama and set the military operation in movement. The operation ended with the death of the younger Ghazi (Abdul Rashid) along with 300 other male and female students. The elder Ghazi, Abdul Aziz, was caught escaping in a Burqa (veil). A further eight members of the armed forces, including a Lt. colonel and a Captain of the Pakistan Army, lost their lives, which shows the weakness of the Pakistan Army and State.

The Red Mosque

The Islamic fundamentalists, once a darling of the state and imperialism, were used to protect their vested interests throughout the region. Abdullah, the father of the Ghazi brothers, was one of those people who were the main source in promoting Jihad in exchange for dollars. He was famous for his speeches advocating Jihad (Holy War). Born in Rojhan, a backward town in South Punjab, he came to Islamabad in the sixties and became the follower of the Pir Dewal Sharif (A local Saint) whose followers included the then president General Ayub Khan, the dictator of Pakistan who built the capital city and named it Islamabad. These connections helped him to get a big piece of land in Islamabad to build a grand mosque where he lived together with his family.

The Pakistan revolution of 1968-69 posed the question of workers' power. This would have completely cut the ground from under the feet of the fundamentalist reactionaries. But the PPP leader Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto failed to complete the revolution and the opportunity was lost. On a capitalist basis it was impossible to solve the terrible social and economic problems of the people and therefore the reactionary forces in the country recovered and became strengthened, especially under the dictatorship of Zia. Bhutto was too soft on Islamists which strengthened them. He paid for this with his life.

The Zia era began with US imperialism encouraging Jihad and organizing and financing the reactionary fundamentalist forces to fight the Soviet Army in Afghanistan. During this period millions of US dollars were given to reactionary mullahs through Pakistan's secret services (ISI) to establish madrassahs, where young people from poor families were given training to fight. In this period advanced weapons were provided to all seminaries and madrassahs for military training.

After the end of the Afghan war a civil war broke out in Afghanistan among various factions in which again some were supported by the ISI and the American CIA. Multinational companies also sided with various factions in this Civil War to get control of the natural resources of Afghanistan and the neighbouring Central Asian countries. One big US company alone, Unocal, gave 30 million dollars to the Taliban to capture Kabul in 1996. All this fighting and bloodshed allowed mullahs to become richer and richer. More and more mullahs established their own madrassahs to have their share of the pie.

Another major aspect of all this fighting has been the drug trade. In the 1980s the American CIA encouraged poppy growing drug trading in Afghanistan to compensate for its expenses during the war. All these mullahs were involved in this drug trade and were working in close collaboration with drug barons who used Pakistan as a gateway to the outside world (Afghanistan is a landlocked country). The ISI and Pakistan Army were major players in the Afghan war and were also heavily involved in this drug trade, from which the army generals made fortunes.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Samuel P. Huntington created the false theory of the "clash of civilizations" to conceal the class contradictions and prevent class unity of the workers. Religion once again came to the service of imperialism. But the mullahs who were once utilized as friends of imperialism now appeared as its apparent foes. Bin Laden who faithfully served the American forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s now turned against his masters. But he remained an enemy of the downtrodden oppressed and exploited who were being forced to think along religious lines instead of class lines.

The drug trade flourished after the American invasion in Afghanistan. In 2006 alone the opium harvested in Afghanistan was 6000 tones, which is a record yield. The areas controlled by the American and British forces have the highest yields. Helmand Province in Afghanistan, which is controlled by British forces, is leading all others in poppy growing.
Mullahs, From Rags to Riches

All this bloodshed, dollar Jihad and drug trade helped the Maulvis (priests) to transform themselves from lower class people to aggressive city hoodlums. In the days prior to the Afghan Jihad, these Maulvis lived a very humble life, living off the donations of the people. The daily food of the maulvi and his family was the leftovers of neighbours. At most a maulvi had a bicycle at his disposal on which he collected donations from well-off people. These people had no productive role in society.

The dollars coming from the West transformed these deprived people into aggressive mullahs who could kill anyone using the cover of religion. The maulvi who used to ride on a bicycle now had tens of Land cruisers at his disposal worth millions of rupees with armed men guarding him day and night.

Who are the Students in Madrassas?

According to the figures released by the Pakistani government last month 24 percent of Pakistanis live below the poverty line and this has increased by 74 percent in one year. And most of the people living on or above the poverty line are also not so well off. These figures show the depth of deprivation, dispossession, suffering, distress and misery among the masses. People suffering in this exploitative capitalist system are forced to sell their kidneys and sometimes their unborn children to survive.

In such circumstances the madrassas offer a shelter to these deprived people where boarding, lodging, food and clothes are provided, free of cost. In return, students have to learn to recite and memorise the holy Quran. Along with this they are indoctrinated with selected education to foster the interests of their benefactors. The madrassas, supported by the intelligence agencies, use all manner of means to collect money for themselves. With the aid of drug money and dollars from the imperialists, they stoke the religious fervour of the petit bourgeoisie. Traders and merchants who use all kinds of methods to fleece their customers give a part of their profits to these mullahs to pardon their sins and to get a ticket to heaven. Famous traders of Islamabad were among the donors of Lal Masjid.

Students drawn from the downtrodden and backward layers of society are instilled with hatred and bigotry against all those people living a better life than them. The class differences and inequalities of this brutal system are used as a tool to protect the interests of the ruling class and divert the hatred of this system along religious lines. Religious sermons and fiery speeches are used to prepare the students to do anything at the direction of their teachers, including suicide bomb attacks.

Fundamentalism and the weakness of the bourgeoisie

The bourgeoisie of the "third world" countries entered the stage of history too late to carry out the tasks of the national democratic revolution, one of which was the separation of religion from the state. Under the yoke of global capitalism the bourgeois of these countries could not develop the basic infrastructure of society. The small towns and villages far from the main cities are deprived of the basic necessities of life. The difference between the cities and the remote rural areas is huge. There are no roads, hospitals and schools. In Pakistan 80 percent of the population has no access to clean drinking water.

When people from the remote areas come to the main cities they develop hatred against the people of the ruling class who live a life of luxury based on the exploitation of the working class. This hatred leads them to commit crimes and they are involved in killings, lootings and robberies. Religious institutions and religious parties give protection to these criminals and use the anger of these young people for their vested interests.

Most of the trainees in the Jihadi camps in Kashmir have committed heinous crimes in their areas and have taken shelter in these camps. The Taliban who are fighting in the Tribal Areas of Pakistan and in Afghanistan are also drawn from the lumpen elements of society who are given huge sums of money and weapons by the intelligence agencies in order to start imposing their reactionary agenda on society.

The weakness of the bourgeoisie allowed the army and religious groups to creep into politics and use this domain to strengthen their economic hold in the country. The involvement of the generals in politics and economic activities made them billionaires and now they use all means to protect their economic interests. All the generals of the Pakistan Army are involved in real-estate businesses, stock exchanges and industries from mineral water to sugar and textile mills.

This, along with the imperialist backing of some factions and the interest of multinationals in the region, fostered a rift inside the Pakistan Army and intelligence agencies. The main cause of this rift is the billions of dollars of the drug trade, which everyone wants to get their hands on. This crisis, along with the crisis of capitalism, has weakened the state, which is fighting with various groups in the Tribal Areas and in Baluchistan.

The incident at Lal Masjid is a part of this internal rift in which some sections of the state were supporting the Ghazi brothers. Musharraf wanted to save and sabotage the Ghazi brothers at the same time - which led to confusion and delay in the operation. This confusion is due to the weakness of the state in pursuing its objectives.

The alternate given by Musharraf of enlightened moderation is a demagogic and superficial idea which doesn't correspond to the miseries of the suffering masses. Fashion shows, cat walks, festivals and carnivals cannot give medicine to a patient or wipe the tears of a child weeping from the pains of hunger. This farce of "enlightenment" cannot solve the basic problems of society, which are caused by the decay of the capitalist system. The so-called liberalism offered by this system alienates the deprived people even more and throws them into the arms of reaction and backwardness.

Repercussions

This incident not only shows the utter impotence of the state to counter these problems. It also shows how fundamentalism has no basis in society. The western media is propagating the false idea that fundamentalism is a big force in Pakistan and trying to prove the false theory of "clash of civilizations". This incident shows that the fundamentalists have no mass basis and now the chickens are coming home to roost, threatening the state that produced them. This incident is not the start of the decline of fundamentalism but the expression of the rapid decline of fundamentalism over the last few years.

The masses are enraged by problems like rising inflation and unemployment, but they don't give a damn about the killings of the pampered protégés of the state. Only the mullahs whose interests are threatened will panic and come onto the streets with their students from the madrassas in some areas. To protect their economic and political interests, the mullahs might use suicide bombings and target killings in some areas. But since they have no mass base and their romance with the state is over they will not be able to do much.

The state might use this incident to strengthen itself and attack the workers more brutally. Since the economic crisis is deepening by the hour with record trade and current account deficits, the crisis inside the state will grow, leading to more such incidents with more bloodshed and killings. This state has used this issue to obscure the devastation caused by recent floods and cyclones in Baluchistan and Sindh where hundreds of people have been killed and nearly two million have become homeless.

These disasters expose the rottenness of the state and decline of the capitalist system, where the state is incapable of providing any kind of relief to the victims of these natural calamities. Amid the claims of progress by the government the basic infrastructure is collapsing. All this means more instability and volatility.
Is there an alternative?

The leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party, the traditional party of the workers of Pakistan, is giving no alternative at this critical juncture. The partial victory of the mullah's alliance in the elections of 2002 was also due to the support of the PPP leadership for the American invasion in Afghanistan (while the mullahs openly condemned it). This helped them to form governments in Pakhtoonkhwa (formerly known as the North West Frontier) and Baluchistan. Also they played an exaggerated role in the National Assembly. Since then, the Mullahs have been exposed before the masses. They have no alternative but are following the policies of the IMF and World Bank. They are carrying out the same dirty politics as all the others.

The PPP leadership have learnt nothing. They are still depending on American support to return to power. In this operation Benazir has openly supported Musharraf and condemned the clerics in Lal Masjid. The same line is taken by the American State Department. Ironically, the Taliban were organized under Benazir's government in 1996 on the directions of the American oil multinational Unocal.

The complete failure of the leadership has left the workers in the lurch. They are suffering from the exploitation of capitalism. The policy of privatisation and downsizing has not only increased unemployment and misery for the working class; it has exposed the weakness of the capitalists and their inability to run the system. After all the privatisations, the rotten infrastructure is declining fast. People have no clean drinking water, no electricity, no sewage system, no roads, no hospitals and no schools and colleges. They are suffering torment under the repression of a disintegrating capitalist system. This rottenness and oppression breeds reactionary forces like fundamentalism, terrorism and fascism.

Only a socialist planned economy under workers' control can lift society out of all this misery and wretchedness, when all the resources available will be used for the improvement in the living conditions of all. This will not only put an end to the reactionary elements in society but also end the exploitation of man by man. A revolutionary party with a socialist revolution on its agenda can lead the masses out of this dark abyss of darkness and despair into a new world of happiness and freedom.

BBC : Musharraf faces big decision

Musharraf faces big decision

Ahmed Rashid, guest journalist and writer on Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia, says Pakistan's leader faces a stark choice.

By Ahmed Rashid | July 17, 2007

The storming of the Islamabad's Red Mosque last week, and the deaths of scores of Islamic militants has placed Pakistan and its leadership on the edge of a deadly precipice.

One wrong move and the already deeply polarized country could plunge into a permanent state of anarchic violence, bordering on civil war.

Al-Qaeda and underground Pakistani extremist groups have pledged to target President Pervez Musharraf, government ministers and the army in revenge for the commando action that bought down the Red Mosque, which had defied the state for six months.

Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao barely survived just such a suicide attack in late April. Gen Musharraf himself has been the target of several assassination plots.

And since the Red Mosque siege some 50 soldiers have been killed by suicide bombers and in ambushes by the militants in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

Now Gen Musharraf - himself a former commando - has promised to wage war against all extremist groups and to never allow a madrassa (religious school) to defy the state again.

He has sent thousands of troops to Swat, a tribal territory of NWFP and to the town of Tank where Pakistani Taleban and al Qaeda are attempting to impose their version of a Sharia state.

At the same time Gen Musharraf is faced with a middle-class movement of lawyers and professionals who are fed up with military rule and a burgeoning political opposition movement that held its biggest get together ever in London recently.

He is under intense pressure to spell out soon a time table for free and fair elections and his own future political role.

Although he has pledged to curb Islamic extremism repeatedly since 2001, he has failed to do so. But this time even he acknowledges that the crisis is far more serious.

Open war between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the so called 'Sharia state' of the Taleban has to be avoided.

A close adviser to the president says that when he finds himself in a crisis or a political trap, he carries out "a tactical retreat" which he then manoeuvres into "a strategic advance" in another direction altogether - leaving the past issues unresolved behind him.

"It's a typical commando's way of looking at politics and the world," says the adviser.

Now there appears to be no space left for tactical retreats.

Nexus

He is faced with a stark choice - either go for the extremists in a consistent manner as he has promised to do in the past or once again try to appease them. The latter course, many fear, would put the future of Pakistan at risk.

Since 9/11 he has been accused of double-dealing with the West, sometimes bending to pressure to curb Islamic extremism and at other times allying himself with extremists to brow beat or blackmail the governments of Kabul, Delhi or Washington.

Thus far, he has never attempted to break the three decades old nexus between the army and Islamic extremists.

As a result al-Qaeda has found the space and support to regroup in Pakistan's tribal areas, the Afghan Taleban have found a safe refuge in Balochistan province and Pakistani Taleban have spread their propaganda across the Pashtun belt of north-west Pakistan.

If Gen Musharraf takes the first choice he will need to first garner political support and a new political mandate by allowing secular national parties such as Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party and smaller regional parties back into the political arena.

These are parties that have accused him of treating them with contempt since he seized power in a coup in 1999.

But striking a deal with Ms Bhutto and others would mean that the army would have to hold a genuinely free and fair election by the end of the year, allow the independence of the judiciary and media and share power with the politicians - something President Musharraf has been loathe to do.

Isolation risk

Now it seems to many that the army needs to understand that it cannot take on the extremists unless it is prepared to have a credible parliament and civilian government to work with.

If he takes the second path it would mean striking more controversial and fragile peace deals with the Pakistani Taleban, the extremists and militant madrassas. This would involve allowing a weakening of the state's authority and credibility.

Taking the second path could also ultimately mean an abandonment of any pretence of democracy, the imposition of martial law, a further distancing from the West and enormous isolation from the majority of the people of Pakistan.

Whatever choice he makes, Gen Musharraf knows he will still be targeted by the extremists.

Times of India : Intelligence agencies derailed Lal Masjid deal at last minute?

Intelligence agencies derailed Lal Masjid deal at last minute?

July 17, 2007

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani intelligence agencies may have played a role in derailing the Lal Masjid deal by jamming the mobile phone of slain radical cleric Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi when he virtually agreed to the demands of negotiators.

A key negotiator has suspected the role of the agencies in bringing the last-minute negotiations with Ghazi to a halt, The News reported without naming him.

He has equally blamed the leaders of Wafuq-ul-Madaris for their failure to avert the disastrous end of the Lal Masjid saga.

Ghazi's phone seemed to have been jammed by the intelligence agencies when he virtually agreed to the demands of Chaudhury Shujaat, a key negotiator, in terms of the release of 15 to 20 people, according to a source.

Many efforts were made but Ghazi could not be reached on phone. "Network busy", was what appeared on the screen every time the negotiators tried to contact the radical cleric who was available just minutes earlier.

"After the repeated attempts in getting Ghazi on the phone failed, decision-makers decided to start the operation," the newspaper quoted the unnamed source as saying.

Meanwhile, a close aide of Ghazi has blamed the leaders of Wafuq-ul-Madaris for their lukewarm response to the conciliatory efforts.

"They were more interested in taking over the mosque complex instead of resolving the crisis," the aide said. Many government people, on the other hand, claimed that the last-ditch efforts to contact Ghazi would not work.

Dawn : Lal Masjid action not taken to appease US, says FO

Lal Masjid action not taken to appease US, says FO

By Qudssia Akhlaque | July 16

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Monday termed absurd the notion that the government had taken action against the Lal Masjid-Jamia Hafsa administration to appease the United States.

“This is absurd and ridiculous. It doesn’t even deserve a comment,” Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told a weekly news briefing when her attention was drawn to the perception.

In reply to a query, she said some bodies found in the complex were suspected to be of foreign militants but so far there was no confirmation.

When asked whether any concern had been expressed by foreign diplomats regarding the security issue, she said: “Providing security to the diplomatic missions in Pakistan is the responsibility of the government of Pakistan and we are doing it.”

Replying to a question regarding the scrapping of the North Waziristan peace deal, the spokesperson asserted: “As far as the government of Pakistan is concerned, it has not scuttled the deal and negotiations with the tribal elders are continuing.”

She said the NWFP governor would be in a better position to give details about the current status of the dialogue.

To address the problems in the tribal areas, the government continued to pursue a comprehensive strategy with a political and economic approach, and, where necessary, military action, she said.

When asked about the fate of the Pakistan-Afghanistan grand peace jirga planned in Kabul, the spokesperson said the Jirga Commissions of both the countries had been meeting regularly to make preparations for it and the process was continuing.

Regarding Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement about the possibility of the LoC becoming a ‘line of peace’, Ms Aslam noted that it was an acknowledgement that the two sides were seriously discussing the Kashmir dispute. “Any out-of-the-box solution to the Kashmir dispute that reflects the aspirations of the Kashmiris would make the Line of Control irrelevant. If that happens, not only the LoC, but the whole of Kashmir would become the abode of peace,” she observed.

“Pakistan has always maintained that the dialogue process should focus on making progress on issues that have caused tension and conflict between Pakistan and India,” the spokesperson said.

She recalled that Pakistan had made many proposals for greater interaction between the Kashmiris on both sides.

On the European Parliament’s concern about democracy-related issues, the spokesperson said these were Pakistan’s internal matters and “nobody can ask the government of Pakistan what to do and what not to do.”

Referring to the latest resolution adopted by the European Parliament about Pakistan, she said it was non binding and it did not necessarily reflect the European Union’s position. “There are many factual inaccuracies and distortions in this resolution,” she asserted, noting that the resolution lamented the requirement of graduation for members of parliament, calling it gender discrimination.

She maintained that the resolution’s reference to the Lal Masjid episode and calling on the government to exercise restraint represented a “confused and conflicting approach” of the European Parliament towards fighting extremism.

When asked if Pakistan had sought compensation from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation for killing civilians in the tribal area, Ms Aslam said the question ought to be addressed to director-general of Inter-Services Public Relations.

The spokesperson rejected a claim that Al Qaeda in Iraq took guidance from Pakistan. “We have no evidence of Al Qaeda operating in Iraq from Pakistan.”

Ms Aslam told a questioner that she was not aware whether the families of the Chinese nationals assassinated in Peshawar had demanded compensation. She said the bodies of the victims had been handed over to their families.

The spokesperson announced that the foreign secretary of Sri Lanka would arrive on Tuesday on a two-day visit for the second session of bilateral consultations.

The News : Protest day observed

Protest day observed

By our correspondent | Karachi | July 15, 2007

Various Islamic organisations and seminaries staged protest demonstrations and held meetings on Friday to observe the day of protest against the massive use of military force and killings in Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa operation.

Speakers at various protest meetings and demonstrations seriously castigated the government policy of launching forceful blitz against the Jamia Hafsa and Lal Masjid people at a time when the mediation efforts of leading religious scholars of the country were nearing to end the deadlock through negotiations.

Maulana Wali Khan, a senior office-bearer of Wafaq-ul-Madaris Sindh, said that people associated with the local Madaris carried out peaceful protest rallies to express their indignation against the killings in the military operation.

Central secretary-general of JI said that the Gen Musharraf-led government had unduly used and exploited the armed forces to unleash blatant terror and violence against the Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa students.

Former senior NWFP minister Sirajul Haq, who is JI Amir of the Frontier Province, said that the launching of military operation had caused serious distrust and hatred among the public against the role and objective functioning of the armed forces. MMA Parliamentary leader in Sindh Assembly Maulana Umer Sadiq said the government of Gen Pervez Musharraf had become ‘extremist’ and ‘fascist’ in its drive to perpetuate its illegal and anti-Islamic rule in the country.

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.

Tehran Times : President warns mosque, madrassah not to be used for terrorism

President warns mosque, madrassah not to be used for terrorism

July 14, 2007

ISLAMABAD (APP) - President General Pervez Musharraf Thursday expressed the government's firm resolve to fight extremism and terrorism and warned that no other mosque or madrassah would be allowed to be misused like Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa. "The extremism and terrorism would be defeated in every corner of the country," said the President while addressing the nation on radio and television. The President said the Lal Masjid administration was using minor children as shield and was deceiving them in the face of teaching Islamic education. "In Islam, the killing of one human being is equivalent to the massacre of entire humanity, so what kind of Islam Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa were propagating?"

Referring to the successful completion of the operation against Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa, the President sought support of the nation in changing the mindset of the misguided elements. The President said the action against Lal Masjid would not eliminate extremism and terrorism from the society but the government's resolve is unwavering in defeating the menace in every province and corner of the country.

He said more than 2000 people including children, women and men fled from the complex before the start of the operation and added that government was able to save more than 1300 people from July 3 to final day of operation which means that over 3300 people including women, children and men with showing wisdom and acumen.

President Musharraf said military operation had to be delayed due to the negotiations and the army had to face loss of lives due to launching of the operation in the day light because such operations are undertaken in darkness to minimize the loss of lives.

Giving details of the reasons leading to the standoff at Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa the President Musharraf said terrorists were provided shelter inside the mosque and the students were fully armed and a baton-weilding brigade of female students was prepared.

President Musharraf said it was a embarrassing situation for him when seven Chinese were kidnapped by the militants of Lal Masjid. He said China is most trustworthy friend of Pakistan and kidnapping of Chinese citizens by Lal Masjid militants was one of the shameful act.

The President said the adjoining buildings were damaged and set on fire and even the fire brigade was not allowed to extinguish it. He said even the National flag was seen burning. President Musharraf said a vast majority of the people of Pakistan are moderate and they have been expressing their concern and anxiety over the on-going Lal Masjid crisis.

He said that negotiations failed because Abdul Rashid Ghazi wanted amnesty and safe passage for himself and his companions including foreigners. They wanted amnesty for their acts. The President said the actions of the Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa were not acceptable to any government. He said the militants inside Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa had their linkages with extremists in FATA and some parts of NWFP.

He said some civilians also died and prayed that Allah may grant strength to the bereaved families to bear the loss.

President Musharraf said Lal Masjid, Jamia Hafsa and the Children Library have been freed from terrorists through a successful operation. He appreciated law enforcement agencies including police, Rangers and armed forces for proving their professional excellence during the operation, and paid glowing tribute in particular to the Special Services Group (SSG) and Anti-Terrorists Force. "The nation and I feel proud of them who sacrificed their lives for the country, and (of them) 10 martyred and 33 others injured," the President said.

The News : Govt launches damage control campaign

Govt launches damage control campaign

By Tariq Butt

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to launch a vigorous “damage control” campaign in different spheres in the wake of the bloody operation at the Lal Masjid-Jamia Hafsa Complex.

President Gen Pervez Musharraf has firmed up a strategy in this connection after discussing it with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao, Religious Affairs Minister Ejaz ul Haq and Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani with inputs from senior officials, an official told The News.

Ejaz has been assigned the task to boost up his contacts and coordination with religious sections, including the Wafaq-ul-Madaris, to diffuse the pressure that they are exerting on account of the operation. The minister will meet different religious leaders in the near future, the official said.

Ejaz told a meeting chaired by the president that the most-important religious groups would not support any anti-government agitation due to the storming of the Lal Masjid-Jamia Hafsa Complex because they had already disapproved these militants’ policies.

Durrani has been assigned the task to highlight the government’s case at different fora and closely work with independent print and electronic media and arrange seminars for the purpose.

Sherpao has been directed to project the details of the operation so that “misconceptions” about it are dispelled. Pakistan Muslim League (PML) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain would take care of the political front to control the damage to the government because of the operation.

Pakistan Link : Musharraf orders crackdown on religious extremism

Musharraf orders crackdown on religious extremism

* Cautions soldiers from wearing uniforms publicly in NWFP
* Curfew in Sector G-6 to be lifted today

Staff Report | Saturday, July 14, 2007

ISLAMABAD: President General Pervez Musharraf on Friday directed all federal and provincial governments to crackdown on religious extremism and militancy in the country, reiterating the government’s determination to free the country from terrorism.

Chairing a high-level meeting to review law and order in the country, the president directed the provincial governments to ensure law and order by any means necessary, adding that the federal government would support them in this regard.

Referring to growing extremism in NWFP, he directed the provincial law enforcement and intelligence agencies to combat militancy by carrying out coordinated efforts in the tribal and settled areas of NWFP.

The president also approved a plan for the immediate deployment of paramilitary forces to the troubled Swat valley to crush the growing militancy in the area. He directed armed forces personnel not to wear their uniforms in public in the NWFP for fear of backlash from the Lal Masjid operation. He said the federal law enforcement agencies would execute and monitor all military operations in NWFP and FATA and the NWFP government would only assist them.

President Musharraf also directed all ministries concerned to provide the media with all relevant facts related to the Lal Masjid operation, including the number and names of those killed and injured. He appreciated the role played by Pakistan Muslim League (PML) President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in trying to resolve the Lal Masjid issue peacefully.

The meeting’s participants also discussed suicide attacks in Swat and Miranshah and were briefed on the recently concluded Lal Masjid operation. They were informed that it was apparent from the layout of fortifications, deployment of weapons and other evidence collected from the Lal Masjid-Jamia Hafsa compound that hardened militants had planned its defence.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, PML President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani, DG ISPR Major General Waheed Arshad and chiefs of law enforcement agencies attended the meeting.

Also on Friday, the government announced the lifting of the curfew in Sector G-6 from Saturday morning, but said that Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa would continue to be cordoned off for security reasons.

Addressing a press conference, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao told reporters that commandoes of Pakistan Army and Rangers had killed four to five suspected foreign militants during the 10-day-long military offensive. He said the number of foreigners killed in the mosque could be higher.

He said the names of those killed, injured and still missing would be posted on the government’s official website in line with the president’s directions. He said the Interior Ministry had also set up an information centre at Pakistan Sports Board for displaying the names.

Sherpao said 102 people, including 91 civilians, 10 army men and one Ranger had been killed in the Lal Masjid operation. Of these, only 17 had been identified, he added. He said the bodies of five girls and Rashid Ghazi’s mother had yet to be identified.

He said the Capital Development Authority had been directed to start the repair work on Lal Masjid immediately, adding that engineers were still not sure whether Jamia Hafsa could be restored or had to be demolished.

Agencies add: Addressing the meeting, the president said the government needed to take sweeping steps, otherwise tragedies like Lal Masjid would continue to take place.

He said, “We have to crush extremism and militants with full force as they are venom for our society.” He praised the professionalism of the armed forces and said they exercised extreme restraint, resulting in them suffering greater casualties than were necessary during the operation. He also directed immediate steps to be taken for the restoration of Lal Masjid.

Courtesy DailyTimes.com.pk

Pak Tribune : Operation against Lal Masjid not a matter of victory or defeat: Musharraf

Operation against Lal Masjid not a matter of victory or defeat: Musharraf
Pak Armed forces guarantors of peace in the region: Musharraf

Saturday July 14, 2007 (2225 PST)

ISLAMABAD: President General Pervez Musharraf has eulogized the troops who took part in Lal Masjid Operation and appreciated the professionalism with which they conducted the operation, succeeding in saving the lives of innocent’s students of Lal Mosque and Jamia Hafsa.

He made these remarks while addressing officers and troops who took part in Lal Masjid Operation here in Convention Centre on Saturday.

The President said that this is not a matter of victory or defeat. The elements present in the Mosque and Madrassah were misinterpreting Islam for their own benefit and were misleading the people by creating chaos in their minds.

Pakistan is an Islamic country where people practice and enjoy their lives according to the true practices of Islam but there are few who are exploiting the social evils in the name of Islam which is wrong practice.

The President said that the government took every possible step to solve the matter in a peaceful manner by holding talks wit the administration of Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa but every such effort was disregarded by them and it become inevitable for the government to take action against the militants present in the premises of Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa.

The President expressed his grief over the tragic loss of lives and said that although it is a matter of sorrow for all of us but he appreciates the courage of the troops who risked their lives for evacuating the innocent students of Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa, as it was the policy of the government that maximum number of lives be saved while keeping any losses to minimum, bestowing praises and high appreciation for the deserving officers and troops of the forces for their bravery and courage.

Federal Minister for Information Muhammad Ali Durrani, Federal Minister for Interior Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, Federal Minister for Religious Affair Ejaz-ul-Haq, Federal Minister for Women Development Sumiara Malik, Vice Chief of the Army Staff General Ahsan Saleem Hayat, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Tariq Azeem Khan, Minister of State for Interior Zafar Iqbal Warraich and troops of the armed forces, Pakistan Rangers, Police and all other concerned officials were also present on this occasion.

Moreover, President General Pervez Musharraf has said that the Armed Forces of Pakistan especially the nuclear forces were the guarantors of peace in the region, as validated in the exercise “Flash Point”.

President made these remarks while addressing at the concluding session of exercise Flash Point Saturday at National Defence University. President emphasized on the importance of a strong economy, our relevance to the International community and a cohesive inner front if we were to emerge as a strong modern Muslim state.

He said that Pakistan was a responsible nuclear power that believed in deterring war and promoting peace.

The concluding session of the Exercise was also attended by the Prime Minister, Mr. Shaukat Aziz, the Defence Minister, Rao Sikandar Iqbal, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Ehsan Ul Haq, the services chiefs and senior officer of the three services.

Earlier the President was briefed about the aim scope and conduct of the Exercise which has validated the development and employment strategies of Pakistan’s conventional as well as strategic forces. The Exercise reassured the participants as well as the observers about the credibility of minimum nuclear deterrence even against a limited conventional were across international borders. This also confirmed Pakistan’s policy of avoiding an arms race.

The conclusions drawn from the exercise will be used for refining the concepts, doctrines, organizations, and training of the three services to fight under the visualized set of environment.

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.