Nawaz Sharif demands judicial inquiry into Operation Silence

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has demanded a judicial inquiry into the Lal Masjid and the Jamia Hafsa operation, and wants the government to clear doubts in the minds of the public.

Washington, July 19 : Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has demanded a judicial inquiry into the Lal Masjid and the Jamia Hafsa operation, and wants the government to clear doubts in the minds of the public.

He termed the military attack on the Lal Masjid as "a politically short sighted act of adventurism, which has endangering national unity, and pitted Muslim against Muslim."

If the Lal Masjid tragedy is not addressed with urgency, it would lead to a rapid growth of terrorism across the country, and thwart Pakistan's prospects of becoming a forward looking and economically developed nation, Sharif warned.

He said doubts, contradictions and mistrust had continued to surround the Musharraf regime's conspicuous attempts to conceal the truth and withhold important evidence by prohibiting the media from reviewing the complex.

Sharif said that it was now the responsibility of the Supreme Court to hold an independent and impartial inquiry into the Lal Masjid operation, the Daily Times reported.

He wanted federal government to submit before the apex court the exact number of deaths during "Operation Silence", and confirm whether they could have been avoided.

It is important that the Supreme Court also question the Musharraf regime about the exact number of madrassa complexes in the country where the presence of militants is suspected, Sharif said.

The court should probe the failure of intelligence agencies to avoid the build up of arms inside mosques in the future.

ANI