In January 2007, the students of the radical Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) took over a childrens library in protest of the Government of Pakistans decision to demolish mosques and seminaries built illegally on government land. After six months of escalating tension, the crisis culminated in an eightday siege, and eventually ended by an armed assault, resulting in the deaths of over a hundred people and injuries to many more. This tragic outcome of the standoff had a devastating spillover effect, as it turned into a rallying cry for Islamist militancy in the country. Since the siege, militant...