Lal Masjid cleric calls for ‘Islamic revolution’

In an apparent backlash to the week-long army siege that left 108 dead, a suicide bomber attacked the office of a top Government official near the Afghan border, while thousands of angry tribesmen mourned three of the fallen militants.

Aziz was allowed to attend Ghazi’s burial at his ancestral village here. “Whatever happened in the past days is not hidden from anyone. God willing, Pakistan will have an Islamic revolution soon. The blood of martyrs will bear fruit,” Aziz said before leading the prayers attended by about 3,000 people.

“We can let our necks be severed but we cannot bow down before oppressive rulers. Our struggle will continue. There are many Ghazis living to be martyred,” he said.

According to official reports, 108 people died in eight days of fighting around the Masjid and its adjoining seminary for girls, which had challenged the government with an increasingly aggressive anti-vice campaign in the capital. Some opposition figures claim the death toll was higher but have not offered any evidence.

A day after the final assault, a suicide bomber on foot blew himself up after forcing his way into the government headquarters in the North Waziristan region near the Afghan border, killing two government officials, according to two intelligence officials. Three police officers in another area of the frontier were killed by a suicide car bomber.

There was no claim of responsibility for the blasts, or whether they were carried out to revenge the mosque siege. But an army spokesman said the Lal Masjid reportedly had links to militants active in lawless tribal regions near the Afghan border.