| State Information Minister Tariq Azim denied media reports that President Musharraf had approved a final operation against Lal Masjid, reported Geo news. Briefing the media on Sunday, Azim said that the government would not compromise with Maulana Abdul Rasheed Ghazi and the time for negotiations had passed. He said that Ghazi would have to decide his own fate. “It depends on Ghazi whether he prefers to surrender or gets killed,” Azim said. ISPR Director General Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said he had no information regarding a final offensive against Lal Masjid, though he did not deny it either. President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz discussed the Lal Masjid operation via telephone. Aziz discussed the strategy against the Lal Masjid administration. Musharraf reiterated the government wanted minimum loss of life. |