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Negotiating the Siege of the LAL MASJID
In January 2007, the students of Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) took over the Children’s Library in Islamabad in protest against the Government of Pakistan’s decision to demolish mosques and seminaries built illegally on government land. After six months of escalating tensions, the crisis culminated in an eight-day siege and eventually ended by an armed assault resulting in over a hundred casualties and even more injured. This tragic outcome of the standoff had a devastating spillover effect as it turned into a rallying cry for Islamist militancy in the country. Based on extensive field research including interviews with key actors on all sides, this book provides an in-depth analytical account of the events that unfolded during the siege, with specific emphasis on the successes and failures of the negotiation process. It outlines important lessons and practical guidelines for crisis negotiators, incident commanders, and political decision-makers in order to provide them with the necessary tools to manage possible similar crises in the future more effectively.
- as given on OUP, Pakistan.
- as given on OUP, Pakistan.
278 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2016
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May 1, 2020It was the summer of 2007,and a key moment in Pakistan's war on terror.The Red Mosque (Lal Masjid) stood in the centre of the capital,Islamabad.
Hundreds of girl students and hundreds of armed militants were living on its premises.Two brothers,both clerics,ran the show.
The girl students,wielding sticks would often come out on the roads.They occupied a children's library,burned CDs and later some Chinese women were kidnapped.
Then,came the last straw.The militants started firing on the police which was outside.Finally,General Musharraf's government had to take action.
Troops,including commandos were rushed there.Repeated deadlines were extended for everyone to come out and surrender.Most remained inside.
Finally,the military action began.Residents of the capital heard sounds of explosions,bullets and rockets for eight days.TV channels broadcast the whole thing,live 24/7. Militants
killed the commanding officer of the commandos.
Finally,commandos stormed the building.Over half a dozen commandos were killed.The death toll of the militants was much higher,including their leader,Abdur Rashid Ghazi.His brother,Abdul Aziz tried to escape and was captured.The building was finally secured after a bloody battle and lots of arms and ammunition were seized.
The Pakistani Taliban announced that this was going to be the beginning of all out war against the state.A series of high intensity suicide attacks rocked the country,killing thousands of soldiers,policemen and civilians.These attacks went on for many years,before normalcy was restored.
Postscript : The courts freed the accused.The Red Mosque was rebuilt,the surviving cleric reoccupied his position.A case was instead,registered against General Musharraf for taking action.
Trouble was again brewing in the Red Mosque recently,before the Corona virus pandemic pushed everything else aside.
Hundreds of girl students and hundreds of armed militants were living on its premises.Two brothers,both clerics,ran the show.
The girl students,wielding sticks would often come out on the roads.They occupied a children's library,burned CDs and later some Chinese women were kidnapped.
Then,came the last straw.The militants started firing on the police which was outside.Finally,General Musharraf's government had to take action.
Troops,including commandos were rushed there.Repeated deadlines were extended for everyone to come out and surrender.Most remained inside.
Finally,the military action began.Residents of the capital heard sounds of explosions,bullets and rockets for eight days.TV channels broadcast the whole thing,live 24/7. Militants
killed the commanding officer of the commandos.
Finally,commandos stormed the building.Over half a dozen commandos were killed.The death toll of the militants was much higher,including their leader,Abdur Rashid Ghazi.His brother,Abdul Aziz tried to escape and was captured.The building was finally secured after a bloody battle and lots of arms and ammunition were seized.
The Pakistani Taliban announced that this was going to be the beginning of all out war against the state.A series of high intensity suicide attacks rocked the country,killing thousands of soldiers,policemen and civilians.These attacks went on for many years,before normalcy was restored.
Postscript : The courts freed the accused.The Red Mosque was rebuilt,the surviving cleric reoccupied his position.A case was instead,registered against General Musharraf for taking action.
Trouble was again brewing in the Red Mosque recently,before the Corona virus pandemic pushed everything else aside.
November 28, 2017
Is an important book for any one who wants a summary of the crisis and doesn’t mind googling the people, events, available footages of the operation and aftermath - because the book doesn’t have any images! It does not even have a diagram of sector G-6/4 Islamabad to show where the Masjid is (and it still exists, with brand-new exterior glory), the places where students went to abduct or claim possession, where the abducted ones were freed, where the media and LEAs were standing ground, and area where the students, militants and their masters allegedly were positioned (or holed up), and which side the SSG started movement from - not to mention any image of the negotiators or negotiations or any meeting, or events covered in ‘Epilogue’. It’s a 278 page book priced at PKR 1098/- (USD 10/-) and has no pictures.
Most of the time, it is simply assumed that the reader would know the date of an event, the people involved in the event and a specific place.
Another peeve is that not a single word has been ‘written’ here that isn’t from a newspaper report, magazine piece, book or excerpt from the authors’ own work! All sources are given after each chapter.
The information from interviews - i.e. from the people they did interview (actual foot or phone work!) - is what has been aired time and again. And they didn’t interview either Musharraf or Shaukat Aziz. No mention is made of which students they did interview - and whether any of them were involved in the abductions, Brigade or operation - nor the representative who took part in negotiations on behalf of Ghazi. The book also does not discuss the role of media personnel and channels in escalation of the crisis.
Even in terms of negotiation tactics that work and fail, the book merely states the obvious. And hindsight is always 20/20. The authors could have covered it all under an article.
Introduction, Chapter 1, Pages 118-123 (Analysis) and Epilogue are informative, but considering that the book is published in 2016, it does not give the where-are-they-now / what-happened-to-them closure to people directly involved in the 6-month stand-off. Its last research was done in 2011! The mismanagement, the egos, failed negotiations, feasibility of the operation, effectiveness of the mode adopted, the loss of lives in the 8-day 'siege', get more poignant when seen in the context of where each key player ended up:
- All cases against the dead Abdul Rashid Ghazi and Abdul Aziz ended with their acquittal, but the latter came under spotlight again when 'negotiations' with Taliban of Waziristan were being discussed during PPPP government (and was seen giving solo primetime interviews in support of Taliban, installation of his interpretation of Islamic law, etc.) as well as saying that 132 children who died in the Army Public School massacre in 2014 were not martyrs if Lal Masjid students were not, and that it was repercussion of government's policies. He also supports ISIS. He is still in charge of Lal Masjid and the 2 Jamias. The institution has a facebook page. He posted a video on it that accused the Shia sect of killing Sunni clerics including his father (true, but then Sunnis and Shias have been killing each other for 35 years). Two new cases were filed against him. The loudspeaker privilege is again off. He is supposed to be under house arrest again.
- The Children's Library is no more - rather it was razed to the ground and only re-opened in 2011 at a new place in sector H-9 (far away from Lal and 2 Jamias). Thousands of books got destroyed during the Operation. In fact, a report (Pakistan Today, July 31, 2011) said that a few dozen books still had bloodstains and bullet marks on them!
- All of the Al-Qaeda and Taliban leadership mentioned in the book was eradicated through U.S. attacks, including Ilyas Kashmiri. JeM's Maulana Masood Azhar was recently 'detained' by Pakistani authorities after allegations of hand in Indian airbase at Pathankot (attacks on Pakistani airbases and APS were blamed on India though in all instances, Taliban/ Al-Qaeda members were arrested).
- Meanwhile, cases were filed against Musharraf (Bugti killing, Benazir Bhutto assassination, death of Ghazi, Lal Masjid operation, 2nd Nov. 2007 emergency 'treason') and he got bail in all cases one by one after his return to Pakistan in 2013. He left the country at the beginning of 2016 and his non-bailable arrest warrants were issued in the Lal Masjid case right after that.
Throughout the book, the operation is called 'Operation Sunrise' when the correct name is 'Operation Silence'. The codename was changed to 'Sunrise' only after the 15-hour Operation finished - or rather ISPR cleared up that the Operation was actually 'Sunrise' only when it was over.
As someone who worked on a documentary on the subject right after the Operation ended and spoke to some of the students in their hometowns, villages, as well as their family members, I feel that this work could have been deeper and honest.
Most of the time, it is simply assumed that the reader would know the date of an event, the people involved in the event and a specific place.
Another peeve is that not a single word has been ‘written’ here that isn’t from a newspaper report, magazine piece, book or excerpt from the authors’ own work! All sources are given after each chapter.
The information from interviews - i.e. from the people they did interview (actual foot or phone work!) - is what has been aired time and again. And they didn’t interview either Musharraf or Shaukat Aziz. No mention is made of which students they did interview - and whether any of them were involved in the abductions, Brigade or operation - nor the representative who took part in negotiations on behalf of Ghazi. The book also does not discuss the role of media personnel and channels in escalation of the crisis.
Even in terms of negotiation tactics that work and fail, the book merely states the obvious. And hindsight is always 20/20. The authors could have covered it all under an article.
Introduction, Chapter 1, Pages 118-123 (Analysis) and Epilogue are informative, but considering that the book is published in 2016, it does not give the where-are-they-now / what-happened-to-them closure to people directly involved in the 6-month stand-off. Its last research was done in 2011! The mismanagement, the egos, failed negotiations, feasibility of the operation, effectiveness of the mode adopted, the loss of lives in the 8-day 'siege', get more poignant when seen in the context of where each key player ended up:
- All cases against the dead Abdul Rashid Ghazi and Abdul Aziz ended with their acquittal, but the latter came under spotlight again when 'negotiations' with Taliban of Waziristan were being discussed during PPPP government (and was seen giving solo primetime interviews in support of Taliban, installation of his interpretation of Islamic law, etc.) as well as saying that 132 children who died in the Army Public School massacre in 2014 were not martyrs if Lal Masjid students were not, and that it was repercussion of government's policies. He also supports ISIS. He is still in charge of Lal Masjid and the 2 Jamias. The institution has a facebook page. He posted a video on it that accused the Shia sect of killing Sunni clerics including his father (true, but then Sunnis and Shias have been killing each other for 35 years). Two new cases were filed against him. The loudspeaker privilege is again off. He is supposed to be under house arrest again.
- The Children's Library is no more - rather it was razed to the ground and only re-opened in 2011 at a new place in sector H-9 (far away from Lal and 2 Jamias). Thousands of books got destroyed during the Operation. In fact, a report (Pakistan Today, July 31, 2011) said that a few dozen books still had bloodstains and bullet marks on them!
- All of the Al-Qaeda and Taliban leadership mentioned in the book was eradicated through U.S. attacks, including Ilyas Kashmiri. JeM's Maulana Masood Azhar was recently 'detained' by Pakistani authorities after allegations of hand in Indian airbase at Pathankot (attacks on Pakistani airbases and APS were blamed on India though in all instances, Taliban/ Al-Qaeda members were arrested).
- Meanwhile, cases were filed against Musharraf (Bugti killing, Benazir Bhutto assassination, death of Ghazi, Lal Masjid operation, 2nd Nov. 2007 emergency 'treason') and he got bail in all cases one by one after his return to Pakistan in 2013. He left the country at the beginning of 2016 and his non-bailable arrest warrants were issued in the Lal Masjid case right after that.
Throughout the book, the operation is called 'Operation Sunrise' when the correct name is 'Operation Silence'. The codename was changed to 'Sunrise' only after the 15-hour Operation finished - or rather ISPR cleared up that the Operation was actually 'Sunrise' only when it was over.
As someone who worked on a documentary on the subject right after the Operation ended and spoke to some of the students in their hometowns, villages, as well as their family members, I feel that this work could have been deeper and honest.
January 29, 2023
This book has 6 chapters. First 3 chapters tell the whole sequence of event that lead to the Siege of Lal Masjid. The other 3 chapters talk about the important factors for pre-barricade crisis negotiations, process of negotiation of barricade crisis, the negotiation analysis (how important opportunities were missed by the Pakistani government, what factors made the whole event to escalate to such an extent, how both parties were at fault and how such situation could have possibly been dealt with). The thing I like about this book is that, it is well-researched. And, it is unbiased. It tells all points from both sides of this operation, so, a reader will be able to draw proper conclusions on their own. The thing that seemed off about this book that in the last three chapters, some points were repeated several times, that seemed unnecessary. Otherwise, it is a really good read.
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