Musharraf's
Bloodbath At The Masjid
By Abid Mustafa
11 July, 2007
Countercurrents.org
The
intensification of fighting between the students of Lal Masjid and the
Pakistani army has left hundreds dead and many injured. This has prompted
President Musharraf to issue the following provocative statement: "If
they do not surrender so I am saying here today that they will be killed.
They should not force us to use force. They should come out voluntarily;
otherwise they will be killed." Even before Musharraf's ultimatum,
his government was swift to attribute the entire blame for the current
crisis on Abdul Rashid Ghazi-the principal of the seminary. However,
a close examination of the events preceding the current standoff, suggests
that the entire saga has been engineered by the Pakistani government.
For the past six months the
Musharraf government has tolerated the behaviour of the students whenever
they chose to challenge its writ. The accumulation of illegal arms,
the abduction of Pakistani socialites and policemen, and the seizure
of six Chinese women was met with muted criticism from government officials.
Furthermore, these activities were not clandestine, and were planned
and executed in full view of ISI's headquarters located in close proximity
to the confines of the Lal Masjid. The frequent visit of ISI officials
and government representatives negates government claims that it was
exploring an amicable outcome- especially when measured against the
ferocity of the Pakistani government's response to similar incidents
in tribal agencies and elsewhere in Balochistan. So why has the Pakistani
government waited so long to barricade the Masjid with military hardware
fit for an overwhelming assault.
This question can only be
answered in the broader context of the challenges facing Musharraf's
rule. At present the Musharraf government has had to contend with both
the secular opposition and Islamic forces calling for his removal. The
secular forces championed by the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy
(ARD) and Chief Justice Iftikhar have gained momentum and have frustrated
America's initiative to get Musharraf re-elected. To diffuse this threat,
Musharraf under US auspices has held secret talks with certain leaders
of the secular opposition and has deployed force against others. The
deaths in Karachi are a manifestation of the latter approach. As far
as negotiations are concerned, the US on Musharraf's behalf is already
engaged in advanced talks with Benazir Bhutto with aim to break the
back of the secular opposition and secure a second presidential term
for Musharraf. This also explains Bhutto's recent ambiguous stance on
the All Parties Conference (APC) in London, which she has shunned so
far.
Whilst the Islamic opposition
unhappy with Musharraf's pro-American policies and his neo-liberal attitudes
have taken upon themselves to oust him from power. Some have resorted
to militancy and others have engaged in protests to vent their anger.
But the wellspring of their resentment is fuelled by the religious seminaries
which America has identified for secularisation or closure. Unlike the
secular opposition-where America was keen to compromise and broker a
deal- the Islamic forces in the eyes of American policy makers must
be secularised at gun point, and any resistance must be crushed. Hence
the surrounding of Lal Masjid by the military in the absence of martial
law, the humiliation of Abdul Aziz Ghazi on Pakistan television, the
abrupt cancellation of talks, the media black out and the announcement
of 'surrender or die' as a solution to the crisis is an ominous sign
for the future of religious seminaries in Pakistan.
What is transpiring at Lal
Masjid has all the hallmarks of becoming a template for Musharraf to
deal with other religious schools and institutions- a recipe for civil
war. Not to mention that the timing of the crisis suits Musharraf, as
it deflects the public's attention away from the secular opposition
and the government's disastrous response to the floods in Balochistan.
What is evident is that the
utilisation of force by the government to deal with both secular and
Islamic forces exposes the intellectual bankruptcy of Musharraf's mantra
of enlightened moderation. Instead of employing thoughts to battle the
ideas of the opposition, Musharraf has resorted to force. The same method
has been repeated by Musharraf's allies-America, NATO and Israel- under
the guise of 'battle of hearts and minds' and both have failed to crush
the Islamic movements in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine. So what chance
does Musharraf have?
July 8 2007
Abid Mustafa is
a political commentator who specialises in Muslim affairs.
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