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July 3, 2007

Pakistan: 12 Killed In Red Mosque Violence

The Lal Masjid or Red Mosque in Pakistan's capital Islamabad has erupted into violence earlier this evening, with 12 people killed. The incident began after a security operation was mounted around the mosque complex, which houses two madrassas, the Jamia Hafsa and Jamia Fareedia.

In January, women students from these madrassas occupied the only children's library in Islamabad as protest against the government's plans to demolish mosques which had been built illegally on land they did not own. The students and the two brothers who run the Lal Masjid - Abdul Aziz and Abdul Rashid Ghazi - threatened suicide attacks if their vigilante activities were interfered with by authorities.

On Monday March 26, students from the Mosque's madrassas invaded what they called a brothel, kidnapping an elderly woman, her daughter and six month old grandchild and another woman. These, including the child, were tied up. They were released on March 29, after the women read out a prepared "confession". The students also kidnapped two policemen on March 27, releasing them the following day.

The mosque leaders and students have demanded that Pakistan impose sharia law. A former leading member of ISI, Pakistan's intelligence agency, Khalid Khawaja, has been imprisoned since January 26 for inciting the illegal activities and protests of the madrassa students. Most of the students come from the volatile North-West Frontier Province adjoining Afghanistan's border.

Madrassa students from the Lal Masjid have additionally threatened video store owners to destroy stock which they deem immoral, including music CDs. Students subsequently raided stores and burned CDs, DVDs and videos that they did not approve of.

On Friday April 6, the mosque set up its own sharia court. The first target was the tourism minister Nilofar Bakhtiar. This woman had attended a paragliding exercise in Paris to raise funds for victims of the October 8, 2005 earthquake. Because newspapers showed her being hugged by the French paragliding instructor, she was condemned by the sharia court as immoral. She later resigned from her post, following death threats.

Instead of taking action against the Lal Masjid, the Pakistan government has engaged in futile talks. There were plans to invade the mosque after April 3, but these were abandoned.

On Friday, May 18, four policemen were kidnapped by students from the mosque complex as an act of retaliation for the arrests of 27 students. Two policemen were released the following day, but the other two were kept inside the complex. These were released on May 24. Policemen who had been held as captives told officers during their debriefings that they saw numerous weapons inside the complex.

On the night of Saturday, June 23, nine people including three Chinese women were abducted from a massage parlor, which the madrassa students claimed was a brothel. About 14 hours later the hostages were released. The details were provided by Associated Press at the time. The Daily Times, quoting from Geo TV, reported that five Chinese nationals, including three women and two men had been abducted. The Scotsman said there were six foreign women among those abducted from the massage parlor.

The exact figures for those killed today at the Masjid vary. BBC TV News is stating that 10 people were killed, while the Pakistan Daily Times states that 12 were killed. On Saturday June 30, Abdul Rashid Ghazi warned that any actions taken against the mosque and its students would lead to forceful retaliation. In a statement that he made to AFP, he said: "We have read the statement by Mr Musharraf and we want to warn him that in case of an operation against our mosque and the seminary we will put up a very forceful retaliation."

The events began today at around 11 am, when students from the Lal Masjid's two madrassas marched towards the Environment Ministry building. This building was involved in the plans to reclaim land illegally occupied and built upon with unregistered mosques. The building was protected by police, but students took weapons from the police and took four officials hostage.

Paramilitary officers ("rangers") fired teargas at the students, which prompted gunfire to come from inside the Lal Masjid complex. The Environment Ministry building was set aliht by the students, as well as an Estate office building near the madrassas. Both buildings were virtually destroyed, as emergency services could not gain access because of gunfire.

Students threw stones and other items at security personnel. Civilians had come to witness the events, and many students mingled amongst them as they continued to protest during the day. The mosque loudspeakers made announcements, such as "Jihad against the government has started. Arrest these rangers and police officials wherever they are seen," and calling the students "Fedayeen" (suicide bombers).

Tear gas was used, but by the end of the day at least 148 people were injured, mostly from gas inhalation. A leading member of the Islamist opposition coalition (MMA) visited the Masjid to broker a truce, but this failed.

Three journalists, including two Westerners, were having interviews with the Jamia Hafsa madrassa for girls when the shooting started. They are believed to still be inside the complex.

Those killed included security officials, students and journalists. Other journalists were injured. Absar Alam, bureau chief in Islamabad for Geo TV was struck on the head with a brick.

A curfew has been approved after a three-hour meeting chaired by President Musharraf. The mosque will be given a brief ultimatum to abandon the building and its madrassas, and will be asked to lay down their weaponry. An official announced: "The government has decided to launch the operation. The army will be on standby and police and Rangers will conduct the operation. They have forced it on us. The operation will be soon."

The Cabinet will be in session tomorrow to have an emergency discussion of the crisis.

Now that the world's eyes are focusing on what is happening in Islamabad, it will be almost impossible to avoid taking drastic military action. Perhaps, if such action was taken six months ago when the students first invaded the library and made threats of suicide attacks, the crisis would not be happening now. By failing to deal effectively with the Lal Masjid Islamists, Musharraf's credibility has suffered at home and abroad.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at July 3, 2007 8:56 PM

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