Islamabad (AsiaNews) – President Musharraf this morning approved a general amnesty for all those still holed up in the Lal Masjid, the “Red Mosque” of the capital that has been caught up in a firefight with the Pakistani army since 4 July.
The government has also decided to withdraw all the charges leveled against Muslim militants since last February, the period when the latter embarked on the “talibanization” of the country. According to internal sources, the measures were decided to avoid further bloodshed.
The clashes so far have claimed a death toll of 19 victims and have injured over 100 people, but according to eye witnesses, the toll is sure to rise, given the presence of “scattered bodies” inside the place of worship.
The government decision has sparked controversy: the extremists of the Lal Masjid are considered to pose a serious danger to Pakistani society, which fears their acts of violence and their radical vision of Islam, a perspective they seek to impose on the rest of the population.