- Now for some introspection
Another violent incident, involving Islamabad’s Lal Masjid, somewhat similar to what transpired in 2007, has been successfully averted. Maulana Abdul Aziz, who had illegally entered and taken the mosque hostage two weeks ago, has been offered a 20-Kanal plot for the establishment of Jamia Hafsa in return for his withdrawal. Although this is a verbal agreement at the moment, hopes are it will be the end of a rather unnecessary and avoidable impasse that the federal government unintentionally invited by not hiring a new khateeb (prayer leader) back in June of 2019 when it removed Aziz from the post. The repugnant cleric known for making anti-state statements in his sermons, inciting revolt and rebellion saw an opportunity to reenter the mosque and lay siege from inside. One can appreciate the handling of the matter on the part of the district administration and law enforcement authorities of the capital but someone needs to be held accountable for how far things got.
It is not uncommon for bigots to get their way, dominating from a relative position of power, in the past. TLP’s Khadim Rizvi pulled this off at Faizabad in 2017, disabling the capital for over a month, leaving only after getting the government to agree to his ridiculous demands. Once over, the protesters were sent home with a reward of Rs1000 each in neat white envelopes distributed by the DG Rangers Punjab at the time. The same TLP, fresh off its Faizabad victory, pushed those very envelopes by staging countrywide protests the following year, calling for a rebellion within the army and violence against judges over the acquittal by the Supreme Court of Aasia bibi in the blasphemy case against her. This time they were dealt with a heavy hand with cases registered against TLP’s leadership, some convictions and jail time as well. Maulana Abdul Aziz is of the same breed of zealots who will test the state now and then to get the maximum out of each misadventure. That he has been given land after a two-week putsch will surely inspire others to try the same strategy. The government and its apparatus have to be more efficient and vigilant to preempt and stop such nefarious efforts so that it does not have to negotiate and cede to the demands of diabolical extremists.
