Govt compromise with Ghazi will not be unique Ansar Abbasi Monday, July 09, 2007 ISLAMABAD: If a fugitive from law, wanted for his alleged involvement in heinous crimes, could be appointed the governor of a province, what bars the government from offering concessions to Maulana Abdur Rashid Ghazi for the sake of the lives of hundreds of innocents, including children and women, still holed up in Lal Masjid? Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was a “wanted” man when he was offered this prestigious public office. Gen Pervez Musharraf had to swallow this bitter pill because he wanted the MQM to join the ISI-made Pakistan Muslim League-Q to make his choice governments, both at the Centre and the province. For his own political gains, the writ of the government was compromised. At the time of appointment of Ebad as the Sindh governor, newspaper reports alleged that he was facing charges of heinous crimes. However, in a briefing session, President Musharraf told newspaper editors that he had checked this allegation and there was no charge of any heinous crime against Ebad.
We have seen the government turning a blind eye to the gory killings of around 40 persons in Karachi on May 12. The private television channels showed live coverage of the mafia ruling the streets of Karachi and killing people with sophisticated weapons without any sign of remorse or fear of being caught. President Musharraf in his post-May 12 Karachi visit rejected the idea of holding a probe into the ruthless cold-blooded murder of dozens in the city of lights. He rather suggested to the media men confronting him to forget the past and look towards the future. So the writ of the government was again compromised and the killers were allowed to go scot-free. In this case too, what was at stake was the vested interest of the rulers. The Lal Masjid crisis, which had initially started as a confrontation between the law-enforcers and those challenging the writ of the government, has now become a humanitarian issue. The crisis that has entered sixth day has already claimed over 20 lives and there are claims from inside Lal Masjid of a huge death toll of Jamia Hafsa students. An SSG Colonel also fell victim to this disaster in the wee hours of Sunday.
Though the exchange of fire continues intermittently from both sides, there is a standoff over the negotiated settlement of the issue. Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who after the arrest of the Lal Masjid’s linchpin Maulana Abdul Aziz, has emerged as the man deciding the fate of hundreds of those still inside the mosque. Previously considered to be a flexible man, Ghazi has proved to be an extremely tough negotiator. With unconfirmed reports pouring out of the mosque that hundreds of women, children and even men are held hostage and are being used as a human shield by Ghazi and an unknown number of Islamists present there, now the government finds itself in a catch-22 situation. To avoid the loss of innocent lives it has rightly decided not to storm the mosque. The government has activated leaders like Ch Shujaat Hussain to find a negotiated solution to the crisis by engaging Ghazi. But so far the government is not willing to offer the kind of concessions demanded by Ghazi. Ghazi had initially sought safe passage for himself and his mother in return for the surrender of all those present in the mosque. Later, he even demanded the institution of a judicial probe into the cases framed against him to avoid arrest. The government has also not agreed to this.
After seeing how his elder brother was humiliated by the government on the state-run television following his arrest, Ghazi must be apprehensive of mistreatment once he surrenders. He would want to be doubly sure that he is not disgraced publicly. Talking to a private television channel, Maulana Ghazi had said that he and his mother would prefer death to the kind of humiliating treatment meted out to his brother. To attain the prime objective of securing the safe release of hundreds of those present in the Lal Masjid, the government should not feel shy to offer the kind of concessions sought by Ghazi. Ghazi is not more important than those still present in the mosque. In such a situation a compromise made to save even one innocent life would be construed as “wisdom” or “astuteness”. This crisis has already played havoc with the nerves of the nation. It must not be dragged any further if a disaster is to be averted. The implications of this standoff could be disastrous for Pakistan.
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