The siege of Lal Masjid

Many mosques are built on encroached land and no one seems to have the requisite courage to demolish them.

ISLAMABAD: This is with reference to Asad Munir’s article of July 3 titled “Lal Masjid siege — four years on”. According to most credible estimates, the number of people killed by drones is around 1,500 and around 98 per cent of these were terrorists.

As for the clergy, it is a truly privileged class in this country and can get away with anything. But if women, especially those working at an NGO, armed with batons, take out a procession, they will be beaten and arrested in the minimum possible time. No such thing happened, of course, to the Jamia Hafsa students who were called “qaum kee betian” (‘Daughters of the Nation’) and no action was taken against them for their illegal acts.

Many mosques all over the country are built on encroached land and the rationale is simple. Doing so allows the peshimam to get living quarters for themselves and their families at absolutely no cost. And no one in a position of government authority seems to have the requisite courage to demolish these illegal mosques.

Abdul Jabbar

Published in The Express Tribune, July 5^th, 2011.