Pakistani Army Invades Red Mosque
The Pakistani military invaded the Red Mosque and seminary complex early on Tuesday morning. As I write, Aljazeera is reporting that the army has 85% of the complex. Some 40 Muslim militants inside the mosque have been killed, as have 3 Pakistani soldiers.
For the background of this crisis, see Manan Ahmad's comments at our group blog.
The Pakistani government has faced protests in the north of the country, in Malakand and Waziristan, over the Red Mosque crisis.
Labels: Pakistan
posted by Juan Cole @ 7/10/2007 12:40:00 AM
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4 Comments:
It would seem that the mosque leader is dead. But Musharaff has gained no victory, in two months I wonder will he be in power?
By tolerating the Taliban in Quetta (some say he supports it), Musharaff is encouraging this kind of thing. Events like this are not uncommon in the sub-continent, the British did it to the main Sikh temple, so did the Indian government that came after.
Events like this galvanises support opposed to the government, and lest we forget, that MOST of the worshippers will not get much punishemnt, then we will see most of the young men who were in the Red Mosque, making their way to NWFP, to the tribal areas where they will feel safe.
I get the feeling that it was killing that the worshippers want. Afterall the main feature of this kind of action is to provoke your enemy. Musharaff may be the elephant with the fly on its rump, but in the end how many flies are there to one elephant?
Musharaff would do well to remove the food of the flies rather than simply swating one or two and thinking himself successful.
Kashmir must be solved, then Musharaff would not need Jihadis for war there, then he could close all the terror training camps and Taliban (salfist/jihadi ideology) madrassas in Pakistan.
Did this confrontation have to come this end result? I had thought a lot of negotiation had been going on, with many in the mosque willing to surrender. As troubling as the Red Mosque's Taliban sympathies were, I'm upset that this large number of casualties has occured. Supposedly this confrontation has generated support for Musharraf. I hope then that this support might instead mature into a well organized anti-Fundamentalist movement among the Pakistani populace, one that DOESN'T have to depend on Musharraf being perpetual dictator in order to fight against the Taliban and the Islamic fundamentalist parties.
- Inkan1969
US sends 3rd aircraft carrier to Gulf
http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0710/iran.html
Unfortunately, Pakistan along with having no credible, independent leadership a la India also lacks strong academic proponents such as those of Iran--people like Fatemeh Keshavarz. Therefore, dictators like Musharraf not only remain in near perpetual power over the country but even more important Pakistan's largely vibrant culture is never seen by most Westerners. (If India had a Mother Teresa, Pakistan has Bilquis Edhi, yet how well is she known in the West?)
Events such as the Lal Masjid standoff in Pakistan only add or detract from the dictator's cachet. The average Pakistani is no better after this incident. His or her voice perhaps means even less than before, as I am sure the upcoming elections will also demonstrate.
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