However, there are some unsettled disputes about whether negotiations still had a chance to work before General (retd) Pervez Musharraf ordered the operation. But this is a political, not judicial, question. The government had the right to take action and there is no need for judges to second-guess that decision so many years later. Instead, the judiciary may want to look at its own role in the affair, especially how it released just about everyone involved in challenging the state from the Lal Masjid.
The clerics at the Lal Masjid, it should go without saying, were terrorists who continually defied the state. If there is any criticism to be made of how the affair was handled, it is that Musharraf gave them too long before using the military option, thereby allowing a media circus to develop. If anyone’s role in the affair needs to be investigated, it is that of a media, then newly-discovering the power of sensationalism and political parties, including Musharraf’s own PML-Q that used the Lal Masjid affair to distance itself from the dictator by spreading false information. Misperceptions about Lal Masjid persist and if there is any good to come out of the Supreme Court commission, it will hopefully be to lay these myths to rest.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 6th, 2012.
COMMENTS (12)
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If any of establishment's son was in Lal Mosjid, then would the operation would have taken place ? There are also mixed reports about who made their first fire, Army or Clerics... and if a massuer is illegally arrested, then where in Law does it says to operate such an operation? Very liberal-facist editorial!
I think this CJ is against Musharraf for obvious reasons .he is not working in national interets and rather wnats to be in picture .Almost everyday a new news from CJ or his team and he is is News headlines. I think he is palnning to run for presidency either under army or after retirement and Musharraf will clean bold him with his and his sons corruption so he wants to eliminate him . May Allah save us from this CJ
Well said!
No doubt, there is nexus between terrorists and CJP. time to impeach CJP.
@fahad.Don't let emotionalism carry you towards inhumanity.Either you are too naive or just ignorant of the facts of this episode.It was pure terrorism in the name of what should have been the most peaceful Religion.No where in the world would a state have put up so long with a place of worship that prided itself as the cradle of vendetta.The action that was taken should have been done much earlier.
The judiciary should also question the role of Abdul Aziz and his brother. What kind of mosque is built on encroached land? What kind of madarsah students have the right to act as the de-facto police of capital city? Who were those people in black clothes that were shouting slogans and were shown leaving the mosque in ambulances. They were way older than any madarsah student. Also why did Molana ghazi build bunkers underground?
I know someone whose daughter studied at Lal masjid and they brought her home days before the operation. She was wailing and crying to go back and get martyred with the other students. She even told her parents that she will not forgive them for stopping her from achieving shahadat.Just imagine the mindset of the other students especially boys on the whole issue. If the government has to be blamed then the blame also lies fair and square on the molanas and Umme-hasan.
It sounds more like Mr. Chaudhary vs. Mr. Musharraf and not the judiciary vs. the government.
Lal Masjid brigade have penetrated and taken roots in the judiciary also ,,,, May Allah save us from from these religious fanatics. Ameen.
Operation Blue Star. Thats the best thing Indira Gandhi did. Musharraf should have followed the same.
lol what an idiotic op ed. Almost all details are in question. Till date the exact amount of deaths arent known. Body parts and debris were dumped in a nali. Use of white phosphorus was admitted by Army. Different sources gave different death tolls. Media reports suggest their were a large number of students who decided to stay back, and still the assault was ordered. During siege no ration were provided to the occupants. No explanation given for the failure of negotiations when almost everything was agreed, No explantion given for why the govt broke the April agreement reached by PML Q leader Ch Shujat. All negotiators involved including PML Q leaders, Wafaqul Madris blame Musharaf for needless escalation. Wikileaks cables include many details that are completely different to the govt public positions. Sure you may not like the views of the Lal Masjid clerics but dont invent facts to support your position.
Rather than determining why and who took over the lal masjid in the first place, we just jump right to the end. It is just like supporting the terrorist who wants to take over this country in the name of "their" Islam. People of Pakistan have short memory, they easily forget all the events that led to the final operation. These maniacs created law and order situation for 6 months, at that time ppl used to question why govt is not doing anything including TV anchors like Hamid Mir ( you can find youtube clip). But when govt did something, after all the negotiatiosn failed, ppl now blame them. What a pathetic and coward nation? Allah (swt) help us, we are willing to giveup our freedom to the terrorists who have hijacked our religion.
The new Judciary is doing more to support these terrorist than stop to them, Lal Masjid case in point and Qadri case which should have been closed by now is still pending.
""whether negotiations still had a chance to work before General (retd) Pervez Musharraf ordered the operation. But this is a political, not judicial, question."" ..absolutely biased comment this is very much a legal question,it is the matter of hundrends of human life who were killed in that operation.No matter to what ideology they belonged a state is bound to take legal,peaceful course not the military one to settle issues like people in lal mosque were blamed for.On issue like malal we are told we live in civilised world where there is no place for such attacks true very true but we should also think same about lal mosque even if they voilated ,challenged the writ of state but military operation was no answer,state could have used other means,like blocking food,water,gas,electricity supplies and other means like building public pressure...The action was kind of Hitler did against his rivals and there is no law,no argument that can justify Nazi's like treatment of Lal Mosque....