Stand-off amicably resolved, says Shujaat

Islamabad: The leader of Pakistan's ruling party declared yesterday that a stand-off involving radicals at a mosque in Islamabad had been "amicably resolved", though the situation on the ground appeared unchanged.

The compound belonging to Lal Masjid (Red Mosque), and an adjoining women's madrassa, or religious school, still looked like an armed rebel camp - as it has done for the past few months.

Men armed with assault rifles guarded the passage through the compound to a public library that burqa-clad female students have been occupying since January in protest against the city authorities' demolition of illegally built mosques.

Yet, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, head of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League, said at the National Assembly that all issues had been settled amicably during his talks with clerics.

"They had two main demands; reconstruction of mosques and enforcement of Islamic sharia," Shujaat said. "We have agreed to rebuild the mosques and as far as Islamic sharia is concerned, Pakistan is an Islamic Republic and measures can be taken to improve the laws," Hussain said.

A senior cleric at Lal Masjid appeared unmoved by Shujaat's soothing words. "There is no such agreement," Abdul Rashid Ghazi, deputy chief cleric at the mosque, said.

"There has been an understanding from the beginning that they will rebuild our mosques and enforce Islamic laws and in return students will vacate the library.

"We will hand over the library to an Islamic government."