'Lal Masjid clerics got their due'

NEW DELHI: Indian clerics have come out in support of the Pakistan government's action against Islamic militants holed-up inside the Lal Masjid.

Condemning the use of the mosque for militant activities, spokesperson of the influential Muslim organisation, Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind, Abdul Hammed Nomani said: "Lal Masjid had become a centre of militant activities. The mosque's clerics were directly challenging the country's authority and they had to face what they faced".
They said the use of mosque by militants has stained Islam's image worldwide.

However, the cleric said had the government opted for talks to resolve the stand-off, bloodshed could have been avoided.

"Human lives could have been saved had the government opted for talks," said Nomani.
He further said that the militants could have been compelled to give-up had the military continued to surround the mosque for longer time.

Meanwhile, Shia cleric Kalbe Sadiq said that acts of violence was against Islam.
"The Al Qaeda and Taliban who link violence with Islam are misguided people," he said.

During "Operation Silence" at the Lal Masjid, 10 security forces personnel were killed and 29 wounded.
At least 73 militants and the radical cleric, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, were killed. The bodies of 73 militants have been buried in temporary graves and their bodies now await collection by relatives. The funeral of Ghazi, who led resistance in the Red Mosque, has also been held in his native village.