Lal Masjid: The Friday After
The demonstrations have started and they simply will not stop.In late october 2001 the Pakistani Army "ambushed" Jihadis on the run from Afghanistan at a small town in NWFP... err.. more correctly, at a check point on the border, Pakistani Armymen loaded a bunch of Jihadis leaving Afghanistan in the wake of the American bombing campaign in a bus and drove the bus to this town. Near the edge of the town, they stopped the bus and attacked it, killing every Jihadi inside. The town of Hangu burned for months as clerics ordered retaliation for the carnage. The Pakistani Army men who did this were Shia, and the Shias of Hangu ... well they paid a price.
Hangu is ablaze again.
People cannot believe that there were only 73 dead - that lie simply has no takers. The MMA is saying what is on every cleric's mind, "it could be your mosque next" ... you all know the next part of that sentence... "Islam khatre mein hain..."
Friends of Musharraf in the Western press are filling the pages with positive editorials in a half-hearted effort to sound supportive but I don't think it really helps. This kind of talk only strengthens the perception that Musharraf has killed the Jihadis in Lal Masjid to appease America. Why are these idiots expressing surprise about the "large arms haul" found in the "basement" of Lal Masjid? WTF is hard to grasp about that? Someone entered a part of the Aabpara stockroom.
At the funeral of Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi, his brother speaks openly of an Islamic revolution. It seems the Supreme Court did not accede to a request to see the face of the body, because at the funeral protesters smashed through the cordon and tore off the lid and removed the shroud to see the face... They wanted to be sure it was really him... this shot was taken at that time.
A "madrassa", Jamia Khadija Tul Kubra, run by the Ghazi family at Janokhel village (Dher Umaid Ali Shah, Mianwali Lat/Lon 32.83/71.57) was raided by the Pakistan Army yesterday. The "madrassa" is most likely an ammunition dump.
By the way, a positively stunning interview by the Javed Ahmad Ghamidi , member of the Council of Islamic Ideology, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Haj, Zakat and Ushr.
Quotable quotes:
"The country is facing this bitter reality as a result of the government’s past mistakes. These [clerics and militants] are the same people the state prepared and used in the name of Islam for many years."
"The Pakistani establishment thought these human beings could be turned into robots. That never happens....In Pakistan, militants like the ones in the Lal Masjid were funded and sponsored by the establishment through external sources. The politics of jihad is the real reason for the bitter crisis Pakistan is facing today."
"Everyone knows that the Lal Masjid and related madrassas are located on illegal land. The mosque’s administration admitted as much. The question is, who provided this space to these clerics in the first place? Everyone knows that the father of the Ghazi brothers, Maulana Abdullah, was funded and given perks during General Ziaul Haq’s regime to foster the concept of jihad as conceived by the establishment. The establishment has brought us to where we now stand."
This gentleman is talking like a member of the disreputable forum.
posted by maverick @ 6:12 AM
5 Comments:
Maverick,
You might find this interesting. On how the raid on Lal Masjid was supposedly postponed by five months:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/
top_story_detail.asp?Id=9039
Hello Anonymous,
This is all part of the psyops being carried out by Musharraf's people to make it look like he actually cared about this little girls, that had to be murdered to take control of the Masjid.
To this end Syed Kamal Shah is being made to look like an idiot for coming up with a plan that made no allowance for the hostages. Basically Musharraf's propagandists would like you to forget that Musharraf himself had pressed for a PAF air strike on the Masjid complex at the height of the crisis and it was the PAF that refused. And yes the "4000-6000" girls were still in the madrassa at that time.
This is all a whitewash being paraded through a compliant media to paper over his complete lack of interest in the human costs of this action.
Another belated attempt is being made to buy off the Judiciary by "diluting" the charges against CJP Chaudhary. I expect some land will change hands as well in a bid to make the Supreme Court look upon Musharraf favourably.
No one dares tell the emperor that he has no clothes.
Hello Anonymous,
One other thing that caught my eye.
If you notice the feuding wifaq boards have come together under the guise of the Ittehad e Tanzimat Deenia.
This represents a unification of various Deobandi factions.
As with a lot of other developments, the significance of this will be missed.
Maverick,
I too thought that the piece reeked of psyops. Thats why I used the word "supposedly".
What I find interesting is that (as SSridhar pointed out) in an attempt to make Musharaff look humane, his people have made it look like he does not have physical control and cannot guarantee the physical security of Islamabad without five months of preparation.
Surely this kind of message will unnerve his patrons in Washington who expect him to guarantee physical control and security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons and material.
Also, I hope you have been following the allegations and revelations that Musharaff rejected the draft agreement that his negotiating team had come up with that would defuse the situation and that his agencies were jamming cellphones to prevent any further negotiations. Even Musharaff's own lotas are dumping the blame for this on him personally.
And yes, the quarreling deobandi factions coming together is further evidence for your "parting ways" analysis.
Anonymous,
I think the Ittehad Tanzimaat Deenia is a very interesting platform.
Earlier the Wifaq boards had been beset by infighting. Everyone was clamouring to have their own Wifaq boards and rumour suggested that some members of the MMA top brass were trying to carve out a separate pot of money from the one controlled by the Wifaq ul Madaris Al Arbiya. A vast number allegations flew back and forth saying that members of the Wifaq boards had stolen money, harassed and intimidated employees, indulged in all manner of corrupt practices.
For those of us who follow these things, this was very exciting stuff. Far more serious the somewhat artificial breast beating that accompanies the sighting of the moon each year.
It is unclear if the ITMD formation has washed this all away and I am by no means suggesting that the ITMD is as crucial a platform as the Majlis-e-Taawun Islami was, but the ITMD itself is a sign of the times, that old differences need to be set aside to pursue common goals.
I would suggest that others keep an eye for more such signs.
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