Publication

This paper sheds light on the background and developments that led to the violent seizure of Islamabad's Red Mosque complex in July 2007. The paper comments on the course of the crisis, highlights the extremists' ability to stockpile impressive amounts of arms and points to failures in Pakistan's security services. Subsequently, the paper reviews Islamic extremism in Pakistan and presents some thoughts about the country's future. The paper underlines the necessity to washout the complete madrassah system, complemented by a revamped education policy.