New Delhi: Pakistan President, General Pervez Musharraf addressed the nation on Thursday on the Lal Masjid operation.
"I am thankful to the Ministry of Interior and Religious Affairs Ministry and Ulema for their efforts to resolve the matter," he said, adding that Pakistan would not allow any Masjid or religious institution to be like Lal Masjid again.
He said that taking action against their own people was a real cause of worry. "It is not a day to celebrate, but this is time to introspect. We are not into political gimmicking and acting to prove a point to the outside world," he said.
Justifying the storming of the mosque, Musharraf said, "We could have stormed Lal Masjid on the first day itself, but we wanted to rescue women and children. Almost 3,300 people were rescued from Lal Masjid and that is the biggest success of Operation Silence."
He said that Lal Masjid was stormed because the negotiated settlement failed. "Abdul Rashid Ghazi demanded amnesty and safe passage and this was not acceptable to us," he added.
On the targetting on Chinese people, he said: "The Chinese have always been good friends, politically and economically. When Chinese are made targets in Pakistan, it is a matter of shame."
Pakistan authorities began burying the slain militants in this week's assault at the Lal Masjid on Thursday.
The attack, which resulted in the death of Abdul Rashid Ghazi and over 70 of his followers has faced a lot of criticism.
Protesters took to the streets in Karachi, Islamabad and Peshawar on Thursday condemning the operation and criticising Musharraf for not taking action against the offenders earlier.
Heavy casualties amongst the women and children held captive could severely dent Musharraf's chances of re-election in elections coming up later this year. Nine commandos were also killed in the assault.
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