Violence Erupts At Mosque In Pakistan
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A long-simmering standoff between the government and a radical mosque in the heart of the Pakistani capital exploded into a vicious street clash on Tuesday, with a dozen dead and more than 100 others injured.
For over 15 hours, paramilitary forces and bandanna-clad Islamic fighters manning positions in the Red Mosque traded automatic weapons fire. At least three female students at a religious school affiliated with the mosque were killed, as were an army ranger and a Pakistani photographer who was caught in the crossfire.
At dawn yesterday, the government was moving armored personnel carriers and Special Forces troops into position and warning of an all-out assault on the mosque. Power was shut down in the area, and security officials were demanding that pedestrians and vehicles stay out. Government officials said President Musharraf had signed off on the operation.
“Those who surrender will be forgiven,” Zafar Iqbal Warraich, the minister of state for interior, said early yesterday. “If someone comes out with a rifle, then we will answer a bullet with a bullet.”
Later yesterday morning, however, mediation was underway and it was unclear whether a raid would occur.
Tuesday’s battle, which followed months of provocations by mosque leaders , dramatically displayed the rising threat of Islamic militancy in Pakistan and the struggles confronting General Musharraf’s besieged government. Tensions between the government and radical groups are not uncommon in Pakistan, but the clash at the mosque reflected their scope — far beyond the deeply conservative tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan and into the orderly, tree-lined streets of Islamabad.
The mosque lies within walking distance of General Musharraf’s house, close enough for anyone home to hear the gunfire that reverberated through the city starting early Tuesday afternoon and continuing into the early morning yesterday.
As the fighting raged, the troops — holed up in nearby buildings — fired tear gas to disperse a crowd of thousands that had gathered to show support for the Red Mosque’s leadership . It was not known exactly how many people were inside the compound.
