THE Lal Masjid episode of 2007 is one of the darkest chapters of the Musharraf era. The incident, in which the state confronted heavily armed militants holed up in the Islamabad mosque, was a textbook case of how not to handle a crisis. In the bloody aftermath, Lal Masjid became a rallying cry for jihadi groups in this country and beyond. With the passage of several years, one would have assumed that the state and its institutions had learnt numerous lessons, specifically where tactful handling of armed violent actors who challenge the administration’s writ is concerned. However, as events in Islamabad over the past few days have shown, this apparently has not been the case. Maulvi Abdul Aziz — former prayer leader of the mosque and a central character of the Lal Masjid saga — is back in the news. As reported, he has occupied the state-owned mosque along with a number of female seminary students. The administration has responded by laying siege to the mosque and the stand-off was continuing at the time of writing.

There are many questions that emerge from this worrying series of events. Most importantly, how has a person with a violent background been able to defy the writ of the state with such ease, and that too in the federal capital? Moreover, Maulvi Aziz has issued a number of ‘demands’ to the government; he wants his old job back at Lal Masjid, along with Rs250m and a plot to construct a new madressah. This is sheer blackmail and it is not understandable why the state seems to be playing along with such a hardened militant. The 2007 debacle should not be repeated and the administration must act now to handle this situation in a firm but non-violent way before the crisis balloons into something worse. Unfortunately, the state is quick to swoop in on critical rights activists and political workers whom it feels have gone against ‘national interests’. However, the response to violent actors who openly challenge the state, mock its Constitution and threaten to take up arms against Pakistan is much more slothful. The message to the Lal Masjid agitators and all others who take the law into their hands must be clear. Democratic protest is every Pakistani’s right. But those who condone and promote violence against the state and its citizens will be tried and punished for violating the law.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2020