The PM House has denied reports in the media that officials from the US had held meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to brief him about alleged links between Tashfeen Malik, wife and accomplice of Syed Farooq, and Lal Masjid and its cleric Moulana Abdul Aziz. OK, let’s assume this denial carry some weight. However, is it not true that after so many years we are still living in denial? Is this not true that prior to army action in 2007 to flush out the mosque and adjoining seminary of miscreants, that place had become a centre for Al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists? Were large caches of weapons not found from the place?
Are Abdul Aziz and his brother Abdul Rashid not on record announcing in Friday sermons that they would unleash thousands of suicide bombers in case of crackdown against them? Why close eyes from the fact that Lal Masjid has once again become a rallying point for extremists? Didn’t the female students of Lal Masjid seminary post their allegiance to the IS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi? Had Islamabad police not always been shied away to arrest Abdul Aziz even after registering cases against him? Had he not been giving notices to government every now and then to enforce Sharia laws or else face the consequences?
Anyone who thinks that a media blackout of his activities will stop him from spreading hatred must be living in a fool’s world. Abdul Aziz is on the offensive while government and all the LEAs (by ‘all’ I mean ALL) are on retreat. Instead of countering Abdul Aziz’s narrative of hatred, by presenting a counter-narrative of inclusiveness and tolerance, we are giving away the cleric whatever space he is encroaching. Why do we need another tragedy such as massacre in APS, Peshawar, to come to senses?
Meeting with the US officials or no meeting, we need to act by ourselves to take action against all those centres of hatred which openly or discreetly encourage their followers to take arms against their fellow countrymen.
Can anyone explain why a number of seminaries in Islamabad are shut down for a week or so prior to a military parade or a foreign dignitary’s visit? If these are dangerous for a week, how come they are not dangerous for the rest of the year?
MASOOD KHAN
Jubail, Saudi Arabia
