London, UK, July 18th 2007 – Following the massacre at the Lal Masjid and Pakistan's continued descent into deeper political chaos, Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, the Islamic political party, is widely distributing a political leaflet explaining how the massacre at the Lal Masjid was orchestrated by President Musharraf to illustrate his secular credentials, shore up his position and roll back the process of Islamisation that has accelerated in recent years.

The leaflet examines the origins of the Lal Masjid massacre and explains that Musharraf used the events as a distraction from the many crises he is currently facing – over his uniform, the judiciary, the economy, the inept response to the Baluchistan floods and the brutal heavy handedness in the tribal areas.

The leaflet explains that by using brute force Musharraf, "wanted to show to his masters in Washington that he was a champion of secularism and that they could put their trust in him and further drive his agenda of ‘Enlightened Moderation'," and that with "Benazir Bhutto, making similar secular overtures, Musharraf was positioning himself as a natural ally to her, against the Islamic opposition within Pakistan."

Commenting on Musharraf's 'enlightened moderation' the leaflet says, "What is evident is that the utilisation of force by the government to deal with any opposition exposes the intellectual bankruptcy of Musharraf's mantra of ‘Enlightened Moderation'. Instead of employing thoughts to battle the ideas of his opponents, Musharraf has resorted to force similar to what his masters have done in Iraq and Afghanistan."

The leaflet concludes by calling on Muslims to "expose Musharraf's plan and his use of this murderous crime to further his Kemalist agenda for Pakistan" and "call for the only alternative, the Khilafah system, to end the cycle of corruption, dictatorship, chaos and injustice that plagues the Muslim world today."

[Ends]

Notes to Editors:
The full text of the leaflet can be viewed at our website