Siege of Lal Masjid
The siege of Lal Masjid was an armed confrontation in July 2007 between a Islamist fundamentalist private militia and the government of Pakistan, led by president Pervez Musharraf and prime minister Shaukat Aziz. The focal points of the operation were the Lal Masjid and the Jamia Hafsa madrasah complex in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Lal Masjid had been operated by two brothers, Abdul Aziz and Abdul Rashid, while the adjacent Jamia Hafsa madrasah been operated by Umme Hassan. They advocated the imposition of Sharia in Pakistan and openly called for the overthrow of the Pakistani government. Lal Masjid was in constant conflict with authorities of Islamabad for 18 months prior to the military operation. They engaged in violent demonstrations, destruction of property, kidnapping and arson. After a combination of events such as Jamia Hafsa vigilantes taking hostage the Chinese massage parlor's workers and militia members setting fire to the Ministry of Environment building and attacking the Army Rangers who guarded it, the military responded, and the siege of the Lal Masjid complex began. The military response was the result of not only pressure from locals but also diplomatic pressure from China and the United States.
The complex was besieged from 3 to 11 July 2007 and was eventually stormed and captured by the Pakistan Army's Special Service Group. The government reported that the operation resulted in 154 deaths, and the capture of 50 militia members.
The siege had profound and lasting consequences for Pakistan. In its aftermath, The Taliban and their affiliated tribal militant groups in Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Khyber Pakthunkhwa renounced the Waziristan Accord, a ten-month-old peace agreement with the Pakistani government. Following the siege, a wave of militancy and violence swept the country. This began the same month with an event known as the July bombings, the ensuing violence caused over 4,000 casualties in 2008. historians often cite the siege as the catalyst for the intensification of the War in North-West Pakistan. Regarded as one of the longest urban battles in Pakistan's history, the event has also been likened by historians to both the Waco siege and Operation Blue Star.
The siege became a highly controversial event, even within military circles. Senior generals like Jamshed Gulzar Kiani and Asad Durrani criticized the government's handling of the operation, claiming the use of unnecessary force led to a significant loss of life. Meanwhile, officials within GHQ claimed the operation was planned by Tariq Majid under the direct orders of Pervez Musharraf, deliberately sidestepping and without getting the approval for the operation by the Army's General Headquarters and Directorate of Military Operations. The decision was so centralized that, as former federal ministers later confirmed, it was made without consulting the Cabinet of Pakistan.
Background
Lal Masjid
The Lal Masjid was founded by Muhammad Abdullah Ghazi in 1965 and President Ayub Khan laid the foundation stone for the mosque. In English, Lal Masjid translates to the "Red Mosque", and the name is derived from the red color of the mosque's walls and interiors.Since its founding, the mosque was frequented by leaders of the Pakistani military and government including prominent Pakistani leaders such as Presidents Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Farooq Leghari, and Prime Minister Balakh Sher Mazari as well as foreign leaders, including Saudi Kings Faisal and Khalid, and Bangladeshi President Ziaur Rahman.
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, the Army Chief of Staff who later became president after seizing power in a coup d'état in 1977, was a close associate of the mosque's Imam Abdullah. The mosque is located near the headquarters of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, and several staff members were known to go there for prayers.File:Maulana_Abdullah_and_General_Zia-ul-Haq_at_Lal_Masjid.webm|left|thumb|General Zia-ul-Haq and Mawlānā Abdullah at Lal Masjid during Friday prayer
During and after the Soviet–Afghan War, the mosque continued to function as a center for Islamic fundamentalist learning and housed several thousand male and female students in adjacent seminaries.
Imam Maulana Abdullah was assassinated at the mosque in 1998. On his death, his sons, Abdul Aziz and Abdul Rashid, assumed responsibility for the entire complex.
Jamia Hafsa
is a madrassa for women adjacent to the Lal Masjid. It is considered the largest Islamic religious institution for women in the world, with more than 6,000 students.It was constructed by Maulana Muhammad Abdullah in 1989. After his assassination, supervision passed to his son Abdul Aziz and his spouse Umme Hassan, while Abdul Rashid ran an institution for boys known as Jamia Faridia. Students were taught general subjects, including mathematics and geography but were not tested on these subjects; the only exams were on religious subjects.
After 9/11
Following the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf announced his support for the US-led war on terror. This declaration sparked conflict with the Lal Masjid, whose leadership was openly pro-Taliban. Abdul Aziz and Abdul Rashid denied having any links to banned terrorist organizations but were vehemently opposed to the war on terror and the conflict in Afghanistan. They openly condemned Musharraf.In July 2005, Pakistani authorities raided the mosque in connection with their investigation into the 7 July 2005 London bombings, but the police were blocked by baton-wielding female students. After the raid, authorities apologized for the behavior of the police.
2007 Standoff
During the first half of 2007, students and mosque leaders began to challenge the Pakistani government's authority by calling for Islamic law and to end co-operation with the United States.A confrontation took place when the mosque launched a campaign against the demolition of mosques in Islamabad by the Capital Development Authority. After an illegally constructed mosque was destroyed, students at the Red Mosque's two affiliated seminaries launched an all-out campaign for Shari's and an anti-vice campaign, occupying a nearby children's library and embarking on vigilante raids through the capital to stop what they called "un-Islamic activities," such as DVD vendors, barber shops and a Chinese-run massage parlor that they accused of being a brothel. They blocked authorities from reaching the site and then occupied a nearby children's library building. This was carried out primarily by the female students of Jamia Hafsa. The students set up an around-the-clock vigil and promised a "fight to the death" when the government threatened to evict them. The situation was defused when the authorities opened negotiations. The government later reconstructed the demolished portions of the mosque compound. The Lal Masjid leadership demanded the reconstruction of six other demolished mosques in the capital city.
On 6 April, Imam Abdul Aziz established a sharia court in parallel with Pakistan's federal judicial system and pledged thousands of suicide attacks if the government attempted to close it.
In June 2007, female students from Jamia Hafsa kidnapped three Chinese women from sector F-8 of Islamabad, who they accused of running a brothel, and seized two policemen. All of the women were released after supposedly confessing to running the brothel and were shown on the television wearing burqas. Also due in part to an intercession from the Chinese Ambassador, Luo Zhaohui.
Timeline
Siege
On 3 July 2007, a battle erupted between Pakistani security forces and students of mosque when law enforcement agencies attempted to besiege the mosque by placing barbwires around the mosque precinct. Riot police fired tear gas to disperse the students leaving nine people dead and approximately 150 injured. Among the dead were four mosque students, a TV news channel cameraman, a businessman, and a pedestrian. Within minutes, security forces closed off the area, and the capital's hospitals declared an emergency. Sporadic clashes continued as Pakistan Rangers paramilitary troops deployed into the area.On 4 July 2007, authorities announced an indefinite curfew in Sector G-6 of Islamabad, where Lal Masjid is located. The government offered Rs. 5,000, plus a free education, to anyone exiting the mosque unarmed. Women inside the mosque were also offered safe passage to their homes. Successive deadlines were extended, as mosque leaders allowed students to surrender. Government authorities announced the first deadline for the occupants of Lal Masjid to surrender unconditionally as 15:30 Pakistan Standard Time, and it was pushed back to 16:00, 18:00, 19:30 and then 21:30.
Before dawn on 5 July 2007, Paramilitary troops set off a series of explosions around the mosque. Gunfire was exchanged throughout the day, but open clashes apparently stopped. Deadline extensions continued on 5 July 2007.
Following the fourth deadline, Imam Abdul Aziz was captured trying to escape disguised as a woman wearing a burqa. Following the capture of this leader, about 800 male students and 400 female students of Jamia Hafsa surrendered to the authorities.
The BBC News reported that Abdul Aziz's younger brother, Abdul Rashid, had been negotiating with a government mediator. He had offered a ceasefire, stating that his followers would lay down their arms if government security forces stopped firing and grant them amnesty. The Pakistani government dismissed the proposal. In a telephone interview from a live transmission of Geo TV, Abdul Rashid denied all the charges against him and reiterated his innocence. He further demanded a guarantee that no harm would come to his followers inside the mosque. He also received a promise that his ailing mother would receive medical care.
The siege continued on 6 July 2007. Negotiation talks continued between the besieged mosque administration and government authorities, without resolution. Twenty-one additional students surrendered to authorities, and two students were killed in a shooting incident.