By DPA
Islamabad : Amid considerable public support for a military assault on the militants holed up in the radical Lal Masjid here, a mother has said that the death of her daughter stranded in the besieged compound will be a blessing.
"It will be a blessing for me if my daughter is martyred in the way of Allah (God)," Aasia Bibi told the Daily Express at the surrender point, a place where religious students leaving the barricaded compound are documented.
Aasia's daughter was scheduled to graduate from the Jamia Hafsa girls' seminary the same day that bloody clashes broke out between the security forces and militant supporters of hard-line brothers – Maulana Abdul Aziz and Abdul Rashid Ghazi.
The radical clerics overseeing the Red Mosque and its religious schools entered into conflict with authorities six months ago after their pupils embarked on a self-styled anti-vice campaign that reached its climax in late June with the abduction of seven Chinese nationals for alleged prostitution.
According to Aasia the two brothers were justified in their move against "vices and vulgarity.
"They were closing down gambling dens and shops selling compact discs with obscene content, so what was wrong in that?" she questioned reporters Monday.
Authorities began barricading the Lal Masjid compound at the start of this month to restrain the extremists from challenging the writ of the government, but armed militants triggered a violent clash last Tuesday by attacking a police checkpoint set up adjacent to the fortified complex.
At least 11 people, including a paramilitary soldier and a photojournalist, were killed on the first day of fierce gun battles that led to massive deployment of regular troops and imposition of curfew in the troubled neighbourhood. At least 21 people have been killed in the seven days of violence.