By IANS
Islamabad : Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf Thursday called for rooting out terrorism and extremism in the country even as he vigorously defended the storming of the Lal Masjid to free it of terrorists who, he stressed, did not represent true Islam and called for national “introspection”.
The president’s remarks came at the end of the day when dozens of bodies of alleged militants killed in the storming of the mosque were buried here while Al Qaeda urged Pakistani people to overthrow Musharraf for ordering the army assault of Tuesday.
“I want to free Pakistan from the scourge of terrorism and extremism,” said Musharraf in his first address to the nation after freeing Lal Masjid from terrorists, which was also being listened to keenly in neighbouring India and the US.
Musharraf underlined that the government’s tact and restraint helped to rescue 2,300 women and children used as shields by extremists holed up inside the Lal Masjid. In the same breath, he added: “Despite the success of the operation, it’s time to introspect.”
Calling the occupation of the Lal Masjid by extremists as “shameful”, Musharraf lashed out at their tactic of using women and children as shields inside the mosque and stressed that the Islam they presumed to represent was not the true Islam that taught love for humanity.
“What do we want as a nation? What kind of Islam were they representing? Nobody has the right to take anybody’s life. Allah gives life and Allah takes it,” Musharraf told Pakistani people after the success of ‘Operation Silence’.
“A human being’s murder is the murder of humanity. Which Islam were they advocating?” he asked while paying homage to security personnel killed in the operation.
“Unfortunately we have been up against our own people… they had strayed from the right path and become susceptible to terrorism,” he said.
“In the garb of Islamic teaching they have been training for terrorism… they prepared the madrassa as a fortress for war and housed other terrorists in there.
“I will not allow any madrassa to be used for extremism.”
The outcome of this episode will determine the future of War Against Terror, Musharraf said as he praised the army, paramilitary Rangers and police for the success of the operation.
Troops launched a 36-hour attack on the Lal Masjid in the heart of the Pakistani capital early Tuesday to flush extremists out of the mosque complex. The Operation Silence has left at least 73 people dead.
The mass burials took place at a cemetery at the edge of Islamabad. No relatives were present at the burials. The body of Abdul Rashid Ghazi, deputy chief cleric of the complex, was transported to his home village Rojhan Mazari in Punjab province where hundreds attended his funeral.
Musharraf stressed that his government tried its best to resolve the standoff through dialogue, but extremists left him with no option but to use force.
“If we had to kill, we would have done it on the very first day. If we had done so, it could have taken more lives,” he said.
“It wasn’t a question of taking lives, but of saving lives of women and children,” Musharraf said.
In another important message that the bulk of Pakistani people were opposed to radical brand of Islam and extremists misusing religion for their purpose, Musharraf said: “The entire Pakistani people put pressure on me to take action against extremists.”
Musharraf also vehemently repudiated the impression that it was a “political gimmick” as alleged by some critics, saying his government was opposed to all forms of terrorism and extremism.
Alluding to the kidnapping of seven Chinese nationals by extremists from the Lal Masjid, Musharraf called the episode shameful – and particularly so since it was directed against China, a country which stood by it in difficult times.
“When Chinese President (Hu Jintao) called me about the incident, I was at a loss for words. China is a good friend and has helped Pakistan economically and in every possible way,” Musharraf said.