NEW YORK, Nov 12: Regretting that mosques and madressahs in Pakistan were being used to spread religious and sectarian dissension, President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Sunday urged the “silent majority” of moderate Pakistanis to isolate the extremists in their ranks.

Speaking at a dinner held in his honour by the Pakistani community, Gen Musharraf referred to the anti-government demonstrations being held in Pakistan against his decision to back the fight against terrorists, and said the images seen on the media did not present an accurate picture of the situation in Pakistan. The protests were organized and attended by a few extremists, a few religio-political parties and Afghan refugees.

But President Musharraf appeared to indicate that the demonstrations had thrown up a contradiction in Pakistani society between those who advocated obscurantist views and the majority of moderate Muslims, who were held to ransom by a minority, and that this contradiction needed to be recognized and resolved. He said before Sept 11, governments had tended to move with caution against extremist elements, but a line had now become drawn between them and a tolerant and peace-loving majority. He urged the majority to assert itself.

He said people should stand up to a mosque maulvi who preached hatred against any other group of Muslims and should refuse to tolerate incitement in the name of Islam, which was a religion of peace.

The general’s remarks seemed meant both to reassure the Pakistani-American community, worried by the turn of events since Sept 11, and the Western projection of Pakistan as a fundamentalist society. His remarks were greeted with applause from the nearly 2,000-strong audience present, although some dissenting voices were heard after the speech from Pakistanis who appeared to be riled by his head-on tackling of a subject usually considered too sensitive to be handled by political leaders.

Commentators in Pakistan have also written that Sept 11 and the ensuing military campaign have led to circumstances that have forced the hand of militants and for their street power to be tested.

However, Gen Musharraf also pointed out that while most Pakistanis supported the government decision to back the fight against terrorists, they opposed the current bombing campaign and were concerned at civilian casualties, which were causing problems. The bombing might be targeted, but the military campaign should be as short as possible.