South Asia News
Thousands protest against Pakistan mosque operation (Roundup)
Jul 13, 2007, 13:31 GMT
Islamabad - Tens of thousands of people protested across Pakistan Friday after the siege and storming operation by troops that was ordered by President Pervez Musharraf at Islamabad's radical Red Mosque and resulted in at least 108 deaths.
Meanwhile, amid fears of major retaliatory attacks by militants, police in a city in the north-west arrested three men with seven explosive vests for suicide attacks and car packed with more explosives.
As well as demonstrations in the capital and other major cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar, some 5,000 people, including many students from Islamic seminaries, took to the streets in Dera Ghazi Khan in the central Punjab province.
Crowds condemned 'brutal action' at the Red Mosque and adjoining madrassa religious school and waved placards bearing such slogans as 'Musharraf is America's pet.'
'Musharraf has shed the blood of hundreds of innocents only to please his Western masters,' local cleric Maulana Rehmatullah told the protesters.
'The government cannot suppress our demands for enforcement of Islamic Sharia law in the country with atrocities like those at the Red Mosque ... Islam will soon rule the country,' he said.
But in an earlier televised address, the president said he stood by his decision to send commandos to take the mosque and adjoining madrassa religious school and vowed that 'extremism and terrorism will be defeated in every corner of the country.'
The battle that erupted Tuesday ended a long confrontation with radical clerics whose students resorted to kidnapping citizens and police officers in their quest for enforcement of strict Islamic law in Pakistan. Foreign fighters with stockpiles of heavy weaponry were also present in the complex, officials said.
The call for countrywide protests came from Wafaq-ul-Madaris, a powerful body of religious scholars that represents more than 10,000 madrassas, and the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance of religious political parties.
Hundreds more protesters blocked a central avenue in Islamabad about two kilometres from the devastated mosque complex and gave loud displays of mourning for students who died.
'The issue could have been resolved through dialogue but the government deliberately caused the failure of last-minute efforts toward a negotiated solution,' MMA parliamentarian Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haidry told the gathering.
Hundreds of people also offered prayers at the grave of Abdul Rashid Ghazi, the deputy chief cleric of the complex who died in the fighting and was buried in his home village in southern Punjab on Thursday.
Similar rallies were held across Pakistan after clerics incited worshippers in Friday sermons and attacked the government for the bloodshed.
Meanwhile, authorities boosted security in anticipation of disturbances and attacks by Red Mosque sympathizers.
Some 10,000 paramilitary troops were deployed in Karachi around the southern port city's official buildings and 12 of largest madrassas.
More troops were also deployed in several districts of the restive North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), where more than two dozen people died in revenge bombings since the mosque siege began on July 3.
Army units sealed off approaches to the NWFP town of Hangu where several members of the security forces were killed and injured in suicide bombings on Thursday, the Dawn news channel reported.
The military activity around Hangu was also thought to be linked with local radio broadcasts by an Islamic cleric who called upon people to strike back for the events in the capital.
In the town of Dera Ismail Khan, police superintendant Gul Afzal Afridi said two of three suspected suicide bombers who were detained came from the restive tribal region of North Waziristan, a known hotbed of militant organizers of attacks on other cities.
Police also recovered 100 rockets, mortar shells and anti-tank mines at a house used by the men, he said.
Also in NWFP, several international aid organizations shut down offices following attacks by angry mobs since the storming operation in Islamabad.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
The Red Mosque and its leaders, drag atists and terrorists, with a Mosque full of guns and grenade launchers, now blame the Americans for the attack by security forces on the Mosque, such a tiresome theme. These crazy fanatics never accept the blame for their own stupidity.
I know. the extremist are always supported by the foreigners.
while they enjoy western lifestyle & good economy, they want us to become Jihadi wagon. if they love sharia so much then move to Iran or something.
Islam is Islam - Moderate or fundamental or extreme Islam does not exist as such.
The Nation is Muslim so Shariah is the Law - If they do not like it then go where you do like the laws and democracy to live your daily live. Our freedom is blessed and full of light.
I urge you to seek asylum or become refugees and go to your land of choice
Tariq, your interpretation of Islam and Shariah is too simplistic. If it is true that there is 'no compulsion in religion', then freedom of thought is MORE IMPORTANT than Islam, even according to Islam itself. Therefore, the creation of a State which supports freedom of thought is paramount. However, Shariah law is a contradiction in that it does not support freedom of thought and in fact punishes those who dare to question Islam.
Thus, freedom is necessary before Islam, before any religion.
It's always someone elses fault, never their own perverted ideas. What a bunch of pathetic losers. Most of these people don't have any skills to speak of since they spend most of their time being self brainwashed by their beloved Korans.
Yea, what a bunch of RAGE MONKEYS !!
I wish thes people could 'get a life' - all they ever think about is their religion.
Christianity is what Jesus son of Mary taught, and not necessarily what the damned pope does or teach.
So is Islam, what Mohammed PBUH taught is Isl;am, and every thing else is Illicit Islam.
ALL THESE EXTREMISTS AND ANTI EXTREMISTS FOLLOW THEIR OWN DISTORTED VERSION OF ISLAM.
''ALL THESE EXTREMISTS AND ANTI EXTREMISTS FOLLOW THEIR OWN DISTORTED VERSION OF ISLAM''
This is rather like a whiskey addict, sneering at a vodka addict, rum addict and a wine addict, admonishing: 'Watch a bunch of alcoholics!'
Someone needs to invent a pork scratching launcher, ' you have 30 seconds to comply or we unleash the scratchings '.
Then sit back and lol as they all trip over their beards and skirts as they rush back into their caves screaming as an avalanche of scratchings rain down on them.
'The call for countrywide protests came from Wafaq-ul-Madaris, a powerful body of religious scholars' - sounds like a bunch of Pissants with sh!t for brains to me.
Can't believe I did that ... should have written:
...admonishing: '*What* a bunch of alcoholics!'
If your enmity against Islam is nothing new. Satan Urbaun did a few hundered years ago and every hypocrite from popes to Euro-american rulers have been, and they will continue to the day of judgement!
THAT IS WRITTEN AND THAT IS FINAL!
But do me afavor, first get all the prejudice out of your head,.... not an easy job, but do it...then read about Islam, from th family of the prophet PBUH and not the robbers around.
'If your enmity against Islam ....'
You've proved to yourself you believe god exists? Or can you only prove people have told you, or that you read things saying he exists? (or you had feelings he did?)
While we take your advice about reading, take ours that reading means reading more than one thing.
Don't stop now president of the Paki's.
This should be a trend throughout the whole world.
Kill the lot of them, they definitly car'nt spruke on with
their crap if their dead..
On ya Musha..Good One..
page: 1
ChrisJul 13th, 2007 - 14:17:33
I'm glad most Pakistanis are moderates and were glad Musharaff took action. It's odd how Islamic miscreants think this fight against evil/terrorism is a war against their religion - this is a big problem because it means they can't tell the difference between their religion and violence against society.
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