13 years of Lal Masjid operation

 The motives of the military operation on Lal Masjid in Islamabad and the vague facts related to it

Thirteen years have passed since the military operation on the Lal Masjid in Islamabad in 2007, but even today the issue is not fully resolved.

Even nowadays the smoke sometimes erupts, which can be a precursor to a major accident at any time.

Various reasons are given for this operation. Some people speak in favor of the operation, while others complain of resolving the issue without any disciplinary action.

What were the motives for this military operation?

To make the capital 'free from obscenity'

In May and June 2007, students from various madrassas run by the Lal Masjid administration were active in promoting Islam, establishing an Islamic system in the country and "cleansing" the federal capital.

They would sometimes set fire to CDs in video and CD shops and sometimes break into massage centers in different sectors of the city without permission, not only torturing the staff but also kidnapping them. Let's take it with us.

Those involved in such activities were never discouraged by the Lal Masjid administration's Karta Dharta, Maulana Abdul Aziz and Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi.

The madrassa students also abducted some Chinese residents from massage centers in different parts of Islamabad, which China had protested to the Pakistani government.

The business community was also afraid of these madrassa students. They either did not open their shops and even if they did, they would close prematurely and leave.

Islamabad police were afraid to take action against those responsible, calling it a "sensitive matter".

Islamabad police were afraid to take action against those responsible, calling it a "sensitive matter".

Contrary to the claims of the police officials, when the police team reached Lal Masjid twice to arrest the culprits, the accused who took refuge there not only beat the policemen but also took them hostage. Deputy Commissioner Chaudhry Muhammad Ali used his influence to free the policemen from their clutches.

Prior to their release, some gunmen also set fire to the building in which the policemen were being held hostage.

Various diplomats from around the world in Islamabad at the time had expressed their concerns over the incidents, such as the "forcible spread of religion" and the alleged intrusion into people's homes.

In addition, the country's intelligence agencies had also expressed concern that the way madrassa students are conducting their operations in public, the possibility cannot be ruled out that these students are from different countries, especially in non-Muslim countries, in Islamabad. Can turn to embassies.

In the aftermath of such incidents, pressure mounted on the then military president by the world to take action against those responsible.

In view of all these incidents, President Pervez Musharraf, who was also the then Army Chief, decided to take action against those responsible.

Preparation for Lal Masjid operation 

According to an official of the Security Division of the Islamabad Police, before the operation against the alleged militants hiding in the Lal Masjid, Reiki was conducted in four sectors all over Islamabad and especially near the Lal Masjid. Apart from the SP of the circle, special teams were also called from Lahore for this purpose.

Besides, these 120 special vehicles were also called from Lahore.

The official said that the Islamabad police had completed the Reiki work and set up fronts at various places some distance from Lal Masjid for the operation. However, the people hiding in Lal Masjid came to know about these fronts after which No police personnel were sent to these fronts.

In view of all these incidents, President Pervez Musharraf, who was also the then Army Chief, decided to take action against those responsible.

According to the security division official, the police had earlier called the Rangers for help but when a Rangers official was killed in a firing incident from Lal Masjid, it became inevitable to call the army.

According to the security division official, before the operation started, the officials of Lal Masjid and Islamabad's weak administration were in touch with each other and when the army was called, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who was killed in the operation, asked the district administration officer. When asked about the reason for calling the army, he was told that as the rainy season is about to begin, the army has been called in to prepare for possible floods.

Before the operation began, all roads leading to the Red Mosque were sealed off with barbed wire and people living in nearby areas were ordered to collect rations for a few days and not to leave their homes.

According to a security division official, Special Services Group commandos and snipers were deployed at schools and government buildings near Lal Masjid, while three units from the Triple One Brigade were called in for the operation.

The military operation began on July 3 and ended on July 10. An army lieutenant colonel, Haroon, was killed during the operation, while there are conflicting claims about those killed during the operation at the Red Mosque.

The government says the death toll from the operation is close to 100, while the Lal Masjid administration still claims that about 200 students were killed during the operation.

On the second day of the operation, on July 4, a private TV cameraman and driver were shot in the back in an exchange of fire between alleged militants and security forces who had taken refuge in Lal Masjid, one of whom is still in bed. While others have been crippled for life.

No one knew how many people were killed as long as the operation continued, but the information came after the operation ended.

The government says the death toll from the operation is close to 100, while the Lal Masjid administration still claims that about 200 students were killed during the operation.

Haroon Ghazi's position 

Haroon Ghazi is the son of Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who was killed in the military operation, and when the operation began, he was at home with his family, which was adjacent to the Red Mosque.

He said that Maulana Abdul Aziz also lived with him and when the operation started, the families of two brothers namely Maulana Abdul Aziz and Abdul Rashid Ghazi were present there.

He said rations had been collected before the operation began, but before the military operation, the administration cut off electricity and gas to the Lal Masjid and the adjoining building where the girls' madrassa, Jamia Hafsa, was located, and their homes. Was given.

He said that on the second day of the operation, the bodies of more than three dozen people were lying in the yard of his house and in Hafsa University.

He said that on the second day of the operation, the bodies of more than three dozen people were lying in the courtyard of his house and in Hafsa University.

According to Haroon Ghazi, during the operation, the security guards stationed there had 14 Kalashnikovs and other weapons that were licensed.

He said that a student in Lal Masjid reported through walkie-talkie that the weapons inside had run out but Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi tried to dispel this impression through walkie-talkie so that the operation would not be intensified.

Haroon Ghazi says that when the curfew was relaxed during the operation, the families of the two brothers, including women, who were imprisoned in the houses, got out of the house and he, Haroon Ghazi, got out with his mother. gone.

He said that if the district administration had known about this, they would have arrested him immediately as cases were also registered against him and his mother.

He said he had been in contact with his children even before the day his father was killed in the operation.

The day Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi was killed, a message came from Osama bin Laden, the leader of the banned al-Qaeda organization, in which he called Abdul Rashid Ghazi a hero of Islam and declared war on the Pakistani armed forces.

Most of those killed in the military operation were identified by DNA tests.

"The burqa was not worn" 

Maulana Abdul Aziz, the protagonist of the Lal Masjid operation, did not blame the madrassa students for promoting Islam and obscenity, but said the operation was in support of Afghan jihad. Done on

He said that during the Lal Masjid operation, he was arrested outside the mosque and the security forces there ordered a burqa and forced him to wear it.

He was asked why he did not take off his burqa when he was giving an interview on state TV after his arrest. Maulana Abdul Aziz remained silent on the question.

Contrary to Maulana Abdul Aziz's claim, Islamabad police officials at the time said that Maulana Abdul Aziz was arrested while wearing a burqa and trying to accompany Hafsa University students who had been abducted by security forces. Was allowed.

According to police officials, when Maulana Abdul Aziz was trying to pass through a walk-through gate set up for women, a lady constable, who was stationed there, reported the matter to the police officers who were suspicious. Instead of a woman, it was Maulana Abdul Aziz.

If Musharraf had wanted, matters could have been resolved without the operation

Journalist and anchor person Hamid Mir says that if the then military president Pervez Musharraf had wanted, the issues could have been resolved without the Lal Masjid operation.

He said that apart from the then Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Tariq Azeem, the then Minister of Religious Affairs Ijaz-ul-Haq was also present during the meeting with Maulana Abdul Aziz and Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi and the parties discussed the issue in his presence. Were willing to resolve through

Hamid Mir said that Pervez Musharraf was not ready to postpone the operation.

He said that Pervez Musharraf called him to the Army House and gave details of the talks.

Hamid Mir says he told the then army chief that some of the militants who took refuge in Lal Masjid were working in shifts and some of them were arrested and handed over to the police who were later sent to jail. ۔

He said that the present Home Minister and the then head of the Intelligence Bureau, Brigadier (retd) Ijaz Shah, was also in favor of resolving the issue through dialogue.

He said that while Maulana Abdul Aziz and Abdul Rashid Ghazi were negotiating with Ijaz-ul-Haq, an envelope came from the endowment department and when the envelope was opened, it was a letter from the endowment department in which Lal Masjid The demolition of Hafsa University adjacent to was called for. He said that Ijaz-ul-Haq, who also had the OFF department, was unaware of the issuance of any such letter.

He said that the then civil society and the Supreme Court Bar Association were also in favor of resolving the issue through dialogue.

Hmid Mir said that Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi's only condition was that his clothes should not be taken off after his arrest.

According to Ali Sher, another eyewitness to the negotiation process and a journalist covering the activities of religious parties, the agreement reached between the government negotiating team and the Lal Masjid administration included that Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi Along with other comrades, he will leave Islamabad for his native Rajhan Jamali, located in South Punjab, and will never return to Islamabad.

According to Ali Sher, the former military president did not approve the agreement, after which the operation was launched.

Court proceedings 

After the end of this operation, a long judicial battle started and a judicial commission was formed to find out the facts of the Lal Masjid operation and there is a long list of people appearing in this commission.

In addition to announcing compensation to the heirs of those killed in the operation, a 20-kanal plot in Sector H-8 was also given by the district administration for the reconstruction of Jamia Hafsa, a women's madrassa that collapsed during the operation. The Lal Masjid administration is of the view that the heirs of any person killed in the operation have not been compensated.

The district administration of Islamabad has canceled the plot allotted for the construction of Hafsa University on the order of the Supreme Court and the district administration has offered them a plot of 10 marlas for a women's madrassa in Tarnol area on the outskirts of Islamabad. The administration of Lal Masjid is not accepting it yet.

The cases against Maulana Abdul Aziz, the main character of the Lal Masjid operation, were tried in different courts and he was honorably acquitted in all these cases.

According to observers, despite the fact that the Lal Masjid operation has been going on for more than a decade and dozens of people have been killed, the problem of Lal Masjid still exists today.

Sometimes the administration of Lal Masjid blocks roads in addition to demonstrations for its rights and sometimes the state closes the roads under the guise of protecting the lives and property of the people, the consequences of which are borne by the people.