 A suspected suicide bomber killed at least 14 people including seven policemen and injured more than 50 others on Friday at a hotel near the Lal Masjid, after baton-wielding students of Jamia Fareedia madrassa and congregation members loyal to the slain Abdul Rashid Ghazi and former prayer leader Maulana Abdul Aziz occupied the mosque briefly and demanded AzizÂ’s return.
| Whoa! Wotta surprise! I mean, whoever expected something like that to happen? |
AzizÂ’s supporters stopped the government-appointed prayer leader Maulana Ashfaq Ahmed from leading the Friday prayer at Lal Masjid after the mosque was reopened to the public after three weeks. They demanded that authorities bring Maulana Aziz to Lal Masjid to lead the prayers. Maulana Ashfaq then left for his home in police security.
"I am, like, outta here!"
"We'll go witcha, maulana. Just to make sure you get home okay." |
Maulana Atiqur Rehman, a teacher at Jamia Fareedia, then led the prayer at Lal Masjid.
| "And now, brethren and sistren, join me in our simple prayer: 'Gawd, please kill them all! Make them suffer! Make their children suffer! Visit them with boils!...'" |
Before and after the prayer, the people shouted anti-government slogans and vowed that they would avenge the killings of all those who had been killed in the Lal Masjid operation. The students and the congregation members then came on the streets. Some of them reached the mosqueÂ’s roof and hoisted black flags there and on the minarets. Some started splashing red paint onto the walls to restore the mosqueÂ’s namesake colour after the government restoration left it pale yellow. The violent mob then started throwing stones at armoured personnel carriers. The violence, which later spread to Aabpara and Melody Chowk, forced the policemen to teargas the mob.
"Chowdry, the students are revolting!"
"Aren't they, though?"
"Have we any teargas?" |
| "That won't make them smell any better, sir." |
The protesters then reentered the mosqueÂ’s premises.
| "Hrarrr! Back to the mosque premises!" |
As the hide and seek between the protesters and policemen continued in the Lal Masjid surrounding areas, an explosion took place in front of Muzaffargarh Nihari House at Aabpara Chowk.
Eyewitnesses said that seven people, including the suspected bomber, died instantly while six critically injured people died at the hospital. Naseer, owner of the restaurant, told Daily Times that a young man came in front of his restaurant and shouted Allah-ho-Akbar before blowing himself up. Interior Secretary Kamal Shah linked the attack with the Lal Masjid situation. The police claimed that it had found the body parts of the bomber including his head.
"Over here! What's this?"
"Looks like a spleen with a turban. And a moustache!" |
Interior Ministry spokesman Brig (r) Javed Cheema said the government had closed Lal Masjid for an indefinite period after the violence in the mosque and suicide attack at Aabpara Market.
| Brilliant. Much more brilliant than the original plan. Not as brilliant as demolishing it and sowing the ground with salt. |
After the bombing, police retook control of Lal Masjid, Islamabad SSP Zafar Iqbal said. Some protesters resisted and about 50 people were arrested, AFP adds.
| And they'll be back walking the streets tomorrow or the day after, which is why it'll happen again. |
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