Apr 8, 2007

The Lal Masjid Assault on Islamabad

“The pictures coming out of Islamabad are not good. Not good at all.” Since then, they have only gotten worse.

The city that I spent so many of my formative years in is under siege from within. But more than that the capital of the country is under assault from self-righteous zealots who not only believe that they and only they can determine who is right and who is not but are bent to enforce their will on others.

And a military government that has otherwise not been shy of using force but whose legitimacy has been shattered by its recent misuse of force, sits on the sideline like a tamashai. Either the cynics are right in believing that it prefers the distraction, or it has actually realized that the fabric of society is now so torn and divided that mistimed action could wreck inimaginable - and uncontainable - havoc… not only on the government’s longevity but on the nation’s survival.

And a military government that has otherwise not been shy of using force but whose legitimacy has been shattered by its recent misuse of force, sits on the sideline like a tamashai. Either the cynics are right in believing that it prefers the distraction, or it has actually realized that the fabric of society is now so torn and divided that mistimed action could wreck inimaginable - and uncontainable - havoc… not only on the government’s longevity but on the nation’s survival.

Following the kidnapping of an alleged ‘brothel’ by the women students of Jamia Hafsa - who still hold a children’s library hostage - the leaders have not only declared victory but have upped the ante by announcing the establishment of a ‘Shariat Court’ of their own and, according to Dawn, “vowed to enforce Islamic laws in the federal capital and threatened to unleash a wave of suicide bombers if the government took any action to counter it.

2 comments:

  1. The second film Goal based on an Asian soccer league team and shot entirely in the UK, is a sports action drama starring John Abraham & Bipasha Basu, who would be present at the unveiling of the film at Cannes.


    Ascenergy

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