An Act of Prudence
By Siddique Malik
Louisville, KY.
smalik94@hotmail.com

Regardless of how one may feel about the Musharraf regime, one thing is clear that it has handled the Lal Masjid affair with prudence. Some people are castigating this regime for delaying action against the fanatics who had taken control of Islamabad’s Lal Masjid (Urdu for Red Mosque), but this delay was wise. Had action been taken soon after these fanatics started their nefarious activities, the sight of soldiers attacking a mosque and an attached girls’ seminary being overrun by men would have angered many Pakistanis. The politico-religious elements would have exploited it to the hilt, destabilizing the country.
The delay caused the fanatics to be inundated by the illusion they had created themselves. They started to believe that they ruled Pakistan and the nation was behind them in their obnoxious activities. When they started to take law in their own hand (not even sparing nationals of China with whom Pakistan has friendly relations), people turned against them, naturally. So when soldiers finally stormed the mosque, people were only concerned about the safety of the soldiers and those individuals whom the fanatics were holding involuntarily.
Of course, certain political and religious individuals and groups did not want the military action to materialize and are, therefore, now vocal against it. But we know who these are. They are either the misguided individuals who see nothing wrong with imposing their wrong perceptions of Islam on society, or the vested interests whose perverted politicking depends upon exploitation of religion and consequent anarchy.
A lot is being said about the way the operation was conducted. There is talk of how loss of innocent life could have been kept to a minimum. But this is all just empty talk. Loss of every innocent life is tragic, but there is no perfect way of conducting a law-enforcement operation in the kind of situation that the Lal Masjid fanatics had fomented.
As a matter of fact, the soldiers delayed action so as to give maximum opportunity to the brainwashed people inside the mosque to change their minds and leave the campus and to the hostages to find a way to escape from the captivity of the fanatics. Many people took advantage of the lull before the storm and left the mosque. Had this not happened, the loss of life would have been in thousands. At the same time, this delay caused the element of surprise to dissipate, giving the fanatics enough time to organize their defense strategy and making the eventual operation taxing for the defenders of the nation’s honor. Therefore, those who are saying that the soldiers did not worry about minimizing the loss of innocent lives are unaware of the reality.
I am especially proud of the soldiers who treated the surrendering women with respect and had the keen eye to spot a fleeing burqa-clad male fanatic among a group of many similarly attired women emerging from the edifice. Had this man who was one of the gang leaders, succeeded in escaping, he would have become a source of further extremism. Thankfully, he was seized.
This man must be tried for his anti-state activities, and if found guilty, given an exemplary punishment. He should get no leniency or slack for the fact that he is under the illusion of being a pious person. Moreover, all others who have been arrested for being accomplices in causing a place of worship turn into a “deathly hallow” (I borrowed this phrase from the title of a recently released book by the British fiction writer JK Rowling) should also be dealt with as severely as possible under the law.
It is unfortunate that Pakistan’s “brokers of religion” are condemning this military action. I am sure that the majority of Pakistanis sees through the hypocrisy of these exploiters of religion. Shame on these self-declared puritans. They are shedding tears at the death of criminals but are aloof to the martyrdom of soldiers who offered the ultimate sacrifice in their efforts to restore the dignity of a mosque, bring peace to a community and project Pakistan’s image as a country that does not tolerate extremism. The MMA leadership and other such politic-religious entities seem to have no concept of the rule of law. Their obsessions with their wrong perceptions of Islam are more important to them than the well-being of the country. They are all inept people whose only claim to prominence is their abject ignorance and their ability to exploit Islam.
However, I must admire Benazir Bhutto for rising above petty politics and endorsing the operation.
As a part of the post-operation healing process, families of those innocent students and civilians who died in the operation should be helped in coping with their losses. Most of these individuals were young and came from poor families from various parts of the country. Monetary compensation would go a long way in helping them cope with their losses.
The soldiers who lost lives in the operation are true national heroes. I was impressed by the fact that President Musharraf and many civilian and military bigwigs participated in the funeral prayers for these martyrs. They should all be awarded medals, posthumously, and their families protected and compensated generously. Also, those soldiers who survived the operation must be recognized as heroes. Pakistan owes them all a debt of gratitude. .
Let there be no tolerance of or nonchalance toward extremism and fanaticism, as President Musharraf promised in his address to the nation on July 12, 2007 in the wake of the Lal Masjid operation. Let this operation be a clear message to all and sundry that the iron-hand of law would fall heavily on those who take law in their own hands and brainwash innocent young minds with hatred of diversity and humanity. Let us not allow the sacrifices of the martyred soldiers go in vain. Long live Pakistan, and down with extremism.


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Editor: Akhtar M. Faruqui
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