Last Interview
A plain-clothed policeman cordons off the site where the governor of Punjab province Salmaan Taseer was shot dead. PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD: Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer was attacked and killed in a firing incident in Islamabad’s Kohsar market on Tuesday.
6:10pm
Interior Minister Rehman Malik says the first point of investigation will be to find out whether the suspect Qadri carried out the attack as part of a larger plot or on his own.
Malik confirmed the suspect, Qadri is twenty six-years-old.
In life, Salmaan Taseer was never afraid of controversy and was never one to remain silent even when his stance on issues like militancy and the blasphemy law brought the venom of the right wing pouring on to him. Zarrar Khuhro
5:55pm
Government announced three day country-wide mourning period.
Chief Minister Punjab, Shahbaz sharif has arrived at the hospital.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik says investigation has been ordered into how the assassin Qadri was selected for the security of the governor.
5:40pm
Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that all personnel of the governor’s security convoy have been arrested.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has announced a two week mourning period. All functions of the party have been postponed.
5:30pm
All VIP functions are under threat says Interior Minister Rehman Malik, adding that, “our colleagues criticise us when we increase vip security”.
Governor Taseer was killed to destabilise Pakistan say MQM Chief Altaf Hussain.
One of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer’s last tweets online:
Mera azm itna bulund hae Parae sholon se dar nahin. Mujhe dar hae tu atish e gul se hae Ye kahin chaman ko jala na dein5:25pm
According to Syed Ali reporting for Express 24/7, the arrival of a huge crowd of people to Polyclinic is causing chaos at the hospital and preventing Governor Punjab’s body from being moved to PIMS for a post-mortem.
5:15pm
The name of the guard who carried out the attack has been confirmed as Mumtaz Qadri.
Saba Imtiaz: According to Rehman Malik, Salmaan Taseer’s guard shot him because he called the blasphemy laws a ‘kala qanoon‘.
5:10pm
Interior Minister Rehman Malik will head the enquiry into Governor Punjab’s assassination.
Karachi has been put on high alert after the attack.
5:06pm
Syed Ali reporting for Express 24/7 confirmed that Governor Punjab has been pronounced dead. Initial reports suggest Taseer received a critical injury in his neck.
5:03pm
The Governor of Punjab was leaving his residence in Islamabad when one of his guards shot him in the chest.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani have condoled over the death of the Punjab Governor.
An eyewitness, while speaking to the police, has provided his account of how the gunman aimed at Taseer and shot him.
5:00pm
The alleged suspect ‘Qadri’ was allegedly part of Rawalpindi’s elite force, Express 24/7 reported.
The suspect is being held and interrogated by Rawalpindi police.
4:50pm
The hospital says the Governor received nine bullets.
4:48pm
Attackers were part of the governor’s convoy, witnesses say.
4:46pm
Police source say they have arrested a suspect in the attack.
Zulfiqar Mirza, Sindh Home Minister Qaim Ali Shah, as well as Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Shahbaz Sharif and Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack.
4:30pm
The governor died on the spot, according to governor house spokesman Farrukh Shah.
According to initial reports, unidentified persons fired upon the governor’s convoy and he was shifted to the Polyclinic hospital for treatment.
Witnesses said that two uniformed personnel attacked him.
====
Salmaan Taseer: The death of a governor
Zarrar Khuhro
1 hour ago
. Salmaan Taseer was shot dead in a market in Islamabad
In life, Salmaan Taseer was never afraid of controversy and was never one to remain silent even when his stance on issues like militancy and the blasphemy law brought the venom of the right wing pouring on to him.
Known as much for his ubiquitous dark glasses as his continuous sparring with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), he was a man you could love or hate, but never ignore.
In a time when obscurantists and terrorists have tried to silence our voices and strike off the heads of those who dared oppose them, Taseer spoke without fear, condemning the blasphemy law and those who stood in its defence, despite the very real threat of violent retribution.
His death is more than a political assassination. It is a message to all those who believe in justice, law and humanity, that the cancer of extremism and intolerance is one that is on the verge of devouring us. It is a call for us to remain silent and supine(Lying on the back or having the face upward.
) in the face of terror, to bow our heads before the edifice of fanaticism or else have our heads struck off.
His blood is not just on the hands of the man who fired the shots; the collective guilt must be borne by all those who have rallied in the support of the ‘blacker than sin’ blasphemy law. Equally guilty are all those parties and politicians who have, whether through fear or conviction, resisted any attempts to change and amend this dark legacy of Ziaul Haq.
We are also to blame who, in our own complacency and detachment, have ceded our religion to brutal murderers.
Salmaan Taseer died a martyr’s death, killed for a cause he truly believed in and we are so much poorer for his absence.
============
WRAPUP 2-Governor of Pakistan's Punjab province assassinated04 Jan 2011
Source: reuters // Reuters
* Governor gunned down by own guard over blasphemy law
* Assassination could deepen political crisis
* Weakened ruling party (Adds comment, detail, background)
By Augustine Anthony
ISLAMABAD, Jan 4 (Reuters) - A gunman assassinated the governor of Pakistan's Punjab province, a senior member of the ruling party, in Islamabad on Tuesday, an aide said, as a new political crisis gripped the strategic U.S. ally.
Salman Taseer was killed by one of his guards because of his opposition to Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said, citing initial reports.
Rights groups say the law is often exploited by religious extremists as well as ordinary Pakistanis to settle personal scores. Islamist groups have been angry over what they believe were government plans to change or scrap the law.
The killing came as Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani tried to muster support for the government after a main coalition partner quit over government fuel price policies.
A witness at the scene said Taseer was stepping out of his car at a shopping area when he was shot.
"The governor fell down and the man who fired at him threw down his gun and raised both hands," said the witness, Ali Imran.
The shooting left blood stains on a parking area on the edge of the Kohsar shopping centre, which is popular among foreigners in Islamabad.
Taseer, a liberal and charismatic politician close to President Asif Ali Zardari, had no role in day-to-day central government but his killing will compound a sense of crisis.
Earlier, the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said it would not demand a vote of no confidence in Gilani because to do so would exacerbate instability in the South Asian nation.
That offered a reprieve(To postpone or cancel the punishment of.
) but left the coalition weak.
The PML-N, believes a no-confidence vote would "damage the whole country", chairman Raja Zafar-ul-Haq told Reuters.
Sharif told a news conference he would present the government with demands such as a rollback of fuel price rises and the sacking of ministers accused of corruption, and gave the government three days to agree.
He threatened to evict members of the ruling Pakistan People's Pary (PPP) out of the Punjab provincial government, which his party dominates. Sharif suggested there may be a need for new national elections, but did not say when.
Taseer's assassination in broad daylight will reinforce the impression that the government is nowhere near to stabilising the country.
The blasphemy law came under the spotlight after a court sentenced a Christian mother of four, Asia Bibi, to death in a case stemming from a village dispute.
"HUGE PRESSURE"
The law enjoys widespread support in Pakistan, which is more than 95 percent Muslim, and most politicians are loathe to be seen as soft on the defence of Islam.
But Taseer had visited Bibi in prison in a campaign for her release.
"I was under huge pressure sure 2 cow down b4 rightist pressure on blasphemy. Refused. Even if I'm the last man standing," Taseer wrote on his Twitter page last Friday.
Malik said the slain politician's guard, identified as Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, confessed and had been arrested but investigations would determine if others were involved.
"Salman Taseer is a blasphemer and this is the punishment for a blasphemer," Qadri said in comments broadcast on Dunya television.
Analysts said Taseer's death would compound political tension as the opposition closes in on the government.
The second-biggest opposition party also said it would not push for a no-confidence vote, suggesting the opposition may prefer to wear down a weak prime minister by blocking legislation or staging protests to force an early election.
"The opposition will want this government to collapse rather then they moving against it. All opposition parties will pounce on Gilani in the parliament," said political analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi.
That could add to the difficulties of the government in pushing through economic reforms demanded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has been propping up Pakistan's economy with an $11 billion loan agreed in November of 2008.
Even before the latest political turmoil, the government faced opposition from almost all political parties to its bid to implement a new sales tax -- a key condition of the IMF for the release of the sixth tranche of the loan.
The tax had originally been scheduled for implementation in July but has been delayed several times. It is under review in parliament.
The delay will squeeze Pakistan's budget as its spending is surging to deal with the aftermath of floods last year that caused almost $10 billion in damage.
Endemic tax evasion means the country's tax-to-gross domestic product ratio is about 10 percent, one of the lowest in the world.
Pakistani Taliban militants may also seize on Gilani's vulnerability by stepping up its violent campaign of suicide bombings to destabilise the government.
The upheaval coincides with increased U.S. pressure on Pakistan to hunt down militant groups to help it turn around the faltering war in Afghanistan. (Additional reporting by Zeeshan Haider, Kamran Haider, Faisal Aziz and Sahar Ahmed; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Robert Birsel) (For more Reuters coverage of Pakistan, see: http://www.reuters.com/places/pakistan) (If you have a query or comment about this story, send an e-mail to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com)
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04 January,2011 Last Updated at 08:55PM
Governor Salman Taseer gunned down in Islamabad
Governor Salman Taseer gunned down in Islamabad Governor Punjab Salman Taseer was shot and killed by his security guard in Kohsar Market of Sector F-6 in Islamabad, Dunya News reported on Tuesday.
PM Gilani has announced three-day mourning and canceled all activities during the period. Punjab government has announced holiday on Wednesday in the province after Governor Salman’s murder. Namaz-e-Janaza of Governor Salman Taseer would be offered at Governor House Lahore tomorrow.
Taseer received 9 bullet shots in his chest and face. He was shifted to Polyclinic in a police van where he succumbed to his injuries. His dead body was shifted to PIMS Islamabad for post mortem. According to initial report, 26 bullets were shot at Salman Taseer and sub machine was used in the attack.
At least 6 personnel of Elite Force including the killer were apprehended on suspicion. The killer named Mumtaz Qadri has confessed that he killed the Governor due to his open support for blasphemy convict Aasia Bibi. Religious parties strongly resist any changes in the blasphemy laws. Effigies of Salman Taseer were burnt in countrywide protests last week.
President Asif Ali Zardari has taken notice of the incident and asked the Interior Minister Rehman Malik to submit report within 24 hours. Rehman Malik has constituted an investigation team to probe the real motives behind Governor’s assassination.
All political leaders including President Zardari, PM Gilani, MQM leader Altaf Hussain, PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif, Fauzia Wahab, Shermeela Farooqi, Afsandyar Wali, Raja Riaz, Governor Gilgat-Baltistan, Governor and CM Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have strongly condemned the murder of Salman Taseer.
Salmaan Taseer was a member of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and had also served as a minister in the caretaker cabinet of Prime Minister Muhammad Mian Soomro under Pervez Musharraf.
Taseer was also the chairman and CEO of the First Capital and Worldcall Group. He was appointed to the post of governor on 15 May 2008 in place of outgoing governor, Lt Gen (R) Khalid Maqbool by former President, Pervez Musharraf at the request of the PPP establishment.
================
Paying the price: Silenced
Outspoken Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer gunned down by own guard for criticising blasphemy laws. ISLAMABAD: Governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer, who recently angered religious zealots with his statements against the controversial blasphemy laws, was assassinated by one of his own guards in an upmarket neighbourhood of Islamabad.
Salmaan Taseer was an outspoken critic of the blasphemy laws which, rights groups say, are often exploited by extremists and commoners to settle personal scores. Taseer invited the wrath of hardline clerics after he called the laws “a slur on the constitution.”
Interior Minister Rehman Malik confirmed that Taseer was killed for his criticism of the blasphemy laws. He said the assassin bodyguard – Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri – had confessed to his crime and been arrested. “Salmaan Taseer is a blasphemer and this is the punishment for a blasphemer,” Qadri said in comments broadcast on television channels.
His hands and legs bound by nylon rope, the bearded Qadri smiled confidently as he spoke to reporters from the back of a police van just after killing Taseer and surrendering.
The brazen broad daylight shooting occurred at the Kohsar Shopping Centre in Islamabad’s F6 Sector, just a short distance from where Taseer owned a home.A witness said Taseer was stepping out of his car when he was shot. “The governor fell down and the man who fired at him threw down his gun and raised both hands after shouting a slogan,” said the witness Ali Imran. However, a police official gave a different account. “Governor Taseer was not in his car. He had strolled to the restaurant with a friend for coffee. And he was shot dead while returning home,” the official told The Express Tribune.“Taseer received 40 bullets of sub machinegun from a close range and he died within minutes,” another police official said. “Fourteen bullets pierced through his body and 26 remained inside,” added doctors at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) in the initial post-mortem report.
Police threw a security cordon around the area and detained five or more witnesses for questioning. The remaining members of Governor Taseer’s security squad – seven Elite Force commandos – were also detained.
“I heard gunshots and rushed out of a nearby restaurant where I was having lunch with a friend. I glimpsed the governor’s body lying on the road,” another witness Aly Khan said.
Officials say the high-profile murder will be thoroughly investigated, notwithstanding the assassin’s confession.
“We will conduct a thorough investigation to know whether it was an individual act or someone else was behind it,”said interior minister Rehman Malik speaking in Karachi.
Qadri, who joined the Punjab police in 2002, volunteered for Governor Taseer’s security squad on Tuesday morning.
“Qadri manipulated to join the squad,” a police official told The Express Tribune requesting anonymity. “The man in charge of the squad is also being questioned.”
Qadri told investigators that he had planned the assassination after Governor Taseer sided with Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman on death row for blasphemy, and spoke against the blasphemy laws.
Recently, Taseer visited Aasia Bibi in prison in a campaign for her release. He wrote on his Twitter page last Friday: “I was under huge pressure sure 2 cow down b4 rightist pressure on blasphemy. Refused. Even if I’m the last man standing.”
Qadri’s father Malik Bashir, a carpenter by profession, and his four brothers have also been detained from Rawalpindi for interrogation.
Salmaan Taseer, a liberal and charismatic politician was one of the most moderate voices in the ruling PPP.
A dapper dresser with jet black hair, he embraced the media and modern technology, becoming one of the most prolific users of social media website Twitter as an outlet for his bold views.
The second high-profile political murder after Benazir Bhutto’s was denounced by government leaders and political parties. PM Gilani announced a three-day national mourning period.
“National flags will remain at half mast in the wake of the assassination of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer,” said a statement issued by the prime minister’s office.
A four-member team, headed by Deputy Inspector General of police (Operations) Bani Amin, has opened investigation. It has been asked to submit its report within 24 hours.
The PPP also suspended all political activities and announced two-week mourning for its slain leader. “On the directives of Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari, all political activities have been suspended,” the party’s information secretary Fauzia Wahab told journalists at the Bilawal House in Karachi. “Salmaan Taseer was loyal to the party and we salute him for his services for democracy,” she added.
The Punjab government also condemned the killing and announced a public holiday in the province on Wednesday to mourn the tragedy. Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif offered condolences to the PPP and Taseer’s family. (With additional input from wires)
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2011.
=======
Salmaan Taseer’s murder — the death of reason
The writer is consulting editor, The Friday Times
Salmaan Taseer’s brutal murder at the hands of a policeman is a cruel reminder of where we have landed ourselves: in a dark morass(An area of low-lying, soggy ground.
) of irrationality lorded over by pernicious ideologies. Taseer was a representative of the federation in the largest province of Pakistan. Yet, as his death shows, he was very vulnerable to the deep-seated prejudice within the state and society. A target of the reactionaries and of bigots, he became a symbol of resistance against the Talibanisation of Punjab.
A scion of Urdu’s great poet MD Taseer, he was a self-made businessman and a staunch supporter of democracy in the country. He had a long history of struggle against Zia’s dictatorship. After his political hibernation, Taseer emerged as the PPP’s formidable voice of reason. His recent brave act of leading a campaign against the sentencing of Aasia Bibi rallied Pakistan’s moderate Muslims and its intelligentsia who felt emboldened by his courage. Whilst his party dilly-dallied(To waste time, especially in indecision; dawdle or vacillate) on the issue of revising the blasphemy laws ultimately succumbing to expediency, Taseer remained firm on his position.
In Pakistan, injustice is the norm and anyone choosing to defy this norm is likely to be crushed. Such is the case with our former governor who will be remembered as a brave man of principles.
The implications of this tragic development are manifold: First, that resistance against the state-sponsored bigotry will further dwindle. Who will dare to take public positions on issues such as discriminatory laws and abuse of religion? Second, the Punjabi jihadis will celebrate this victory and further strengthen their position in the rural hinterland where militancy is bred and exported. Political parties sharing power in the province have appeased the militants or entered into political pacts with them. Third, it appears that a section of the security apparatus designed to protect public functionaries — as it has failed to protect ordinary citizens thus far — is both penetrable and prey to extremist leanings.
Benazir Bhutto’s assassination and the confounded investigation of her murder demonstrate two things: our civilian investigation and prosecution agencies are dysfunctional and that the security establishment is above the law. Taseer’s murder is yet another blow to Pakistan’s liberals and moderates alike. The worst part is that if they are eliminated, there is no guarantee of a fair investigation and trial. This is why the flawed strategy of appeasing jihadis here or in Afghanistan is so fatal for Jinnah’s Pakistan. Whatever is left of that original vision of Pakistan is now under grave danger.
If the PPP and the PML-N have to survive as political actors and present viable alternatives to the fascists and extremists, then they will have to get this murder investigated, unearth the conspiracy that must have preceded this act of terror and punish the perpetrators.
Salmaan Taseer, RIP. This country did not deserve you.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2011.
===========
Remembering the man: The lesser known side of Salmaan Taseer Friends and colleagues recall his art collection and sense of humour.
LAHORE: If you enter Salmaan Taseer’s residence in Lahore, the first thing that you would come across is calligraphy paintings on the front wall. Next to them hangs a masterpiece by one of Pakistan’s best artists Saeed Akhter.
The house is unique in more than one way and speaks volumes about his artistic taste. You name a renowned artist and Taseer will be sure to have his work in the collection. Sadiquain, Gulgee, Shakir Ali are a few names whose rare and classic works find a prominent space in his collection. His three houses in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore all have one thing in common: art collections.
“Salmaan Taseer had a rare gift to admire and enjoy art. He will be the only governor in our history who had around 300 cartoon sketches of his own that newspapers had published over time. I got all those sketches framed and he joyfully showed them to his personal guests and friends,” one of his personal staff officers told The Express Tribune.
“Salmaan Taseer smoked Cuban cigars and was very fond of expensive glasses. He would not care much about his dressing but would be very careful in choosing glasses. Mostly he lunched at the same restaurant and didn’t mind mixing with people there,” he said.
Another official at the Punjab Governor House said: “He was very fond of driving and mostly travelled in his personal Mercedes. He had travelled across the country while driving himself.”
“Salmaan Taseer was a very down-to-earth person. He didn’t change a bit after assuming the office of governor and had no airs about him,” said Ishtiaque Asif, a businessman and one of Taseer’s old friends. “He did a lot of charitable work but never publicised it. He was very humane, tolerant and a visionary who will be missed,” Asif added.
Salmaan Taseer was the son of Dr MD Taseer, who is said to be the sub-continent’s first PhD in English Literature from England. His father was a friend of Allama Iqbal’s while his mother and Alys Faiz, wife of Faiz Ahmad Faiz, were sisters.
“I couldn’t get admission to the Aitchison College, Lahore, because I didn’t have enough money. Now I am the chairman of its board of governors,” Taseer had once said in an interview when asked about his struggles in life.
It is presumed that Taseer was assassinated for his stance on the blasphemy laws. Jamaat-e-Islami’s former chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad said: “Taseer’s murder is extremely regrettable and condemnable. This shows the intolerance in our society”.
Akbar Naqi, a close aide of Taseer who has been serving on key posts in business organisations run by him, said, “He was a very large-hearted person. He had the courage to face criticism without reacting. Salmaan saheb was a very enlightened, lively and brave person who didn’t budge an inch from his stance when he knew he was right.”
“The government should conduct a judicial inquiry of the incident at once. The truth should come forward,” said former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri.
Prominent achievements
1994: Established First Capital Securities Corporation, a full service brokerage house
1995: Established Worldcall, considered the pioneer group in the private telecommunications sector
2002: Established Daily Times, an English-language daily newspaper
2004-05: Established Business Plus, the country’s first business and news channel
2010: Launched Zaiqa television channel
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2011.
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WRAPUP 1-Pakistani scholars say mourning slain governor risky05 Jan 2011
Source: reuters // Reuters
* Scholars say any supporters of slain governor risk death
* Views highlight challenge of fight religious extremism
* Assassination deepens Pakistan's political crisis
By Michael Georgy
ISLAMABAD, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Five hundred moderate Pakistani religious scholars have warned that anyone who expresses grief over the assassination of a senior ruling party official who opposed the country's blasphemy law could suffer the same fate.
Salmaan Taseer, a liberal politician close to President Asif Ali Zardari, had no day-to-day role in the central government, but his killing in broad daylight at a shopping centre in Islamabad reinforces the sense that the government is incapable of stabilising the Muslim country of 170 million.
The Punjab province governor was killed on Tuesday by one of his guards, who was apparently incensed(cause to be extremely angry; infuriate.
) by the politician's opposition to the blasphemy law, in a parking lot at the block of shops popular with foreigners.
Human rights groups say the law is often exploited by religious conservatives as well as ordinary people to settle personal scores.
But the law has widespread support in a country that is more than 95 percent Muslim, and most politicians are loath to be seen as soft on the defence of Islam. Taseer, however, was an outspoken critic.
The Jamaat-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat Pakistan group of scholars is a vocal(Tending to express oneself often or freely; outspoken: ) critic of Taliban militants who are violently opposed to the government and its ally the United States.
The group is one of the largest representing scholars from the moderate Barelvi sect of Sunni Muslims. They have been leading protests in favour of the blasphemy law.
That illustrates how difficult it can be for Washington which sees Islamabad as indispensable in its war on militancy, to persuade Pakistani leaders to crack down harder on religious extremism.
"More than 500 scholars of the Jamaat-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat have advised Muslims not to offer the funeral prayers of Governor Punjab Salman Taseer nor try to lead the prayers," the group said in a statement.
"Also, there should be no no expression of grief or sympathy on the death of the governor, as those who support blasphemy of the Prophet are themselves indulging in blasphemy."
"A LESSON"
Taseer's killing has deepened a political crisis in Pakistan, a nuclear-powered South Asian country which is a front-line state in the war against militancy in Afghanistan.
It came two days after a main partner in Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani's coalition bolted for the opposition in protest over fuel price policies, leaving him without a parliamentary majority and struggling to save his government.
The blasphemy law came under the spotlight after a court in November sentenced a Christian mother of four, Asia Bibi, to death in a case stemming from a village dispute.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the bodyguard who killed Taseer, identified as Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, confessed and had been arrested.
"Salman Taseer is a blasphemer and this is the punishment for a blasphemer," Qadri said in comments broadcast on Dunya television.
The group of scholars also noted the "courage" and religious zeal of Taseer's killer, saying his action has made Muslims around the world proud.
It also said that the "so-called" intellectuals, ministers, politicians and television anchors who oppose the blasphemy law and support those committing blasphemy should learn a lesson from Taseer's death.
Taseer was shot 14 times from a distance of about six feet (2 metres), said Khawaja Waseem Ahmed, a spokesman for the hospital where he was treated.
Taseer had visited Bibi in prison in a campaign for her release. He wrote on his Twitter page last Friday: "I was under huge pressure sure 2 cow down b4 rightist pressure on blasphemy. Refused. Even if I'm the last man standing." (Additional reporting by Faisal Aziz and Kamran Haider; Editing by Robert Birsel) (For more Reuters coverage of Pakistan, see: http://www.reuters.com/places/pakistan) (If you have a query or comment about this story, send an e-mail to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com)
================
Salmaan Taseer laid to rest
Outspoken Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer was gunned down by own guard for criticising blasphemy laws. PHOTO: REUTERS
LAHORE: Slain Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer was laid to rest at the Cavalry graveyard in Lahore after being flown in on an army chopper from the Governor House where funeral prayers were offered on Wednesday.
Air force and police personnel were also present at the graveyard to offer the former governor full state honours during his burial. The funeral prayers were led by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Ulema wing General Secretary.
Several PPP leaders including Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and other party leaders gathered at the Governor House to participate in the prayers. Other senior leaders present at the funeral included Law Minister Babar Awan, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Interior Minister Rehman Malik. Military officials also gathered at the Governor House to participate in the prayers. A six-member MQM delegation was also present at the Governor House.
High security was put in place in Lahore ahead of the governor’s funeral prayers. All roads leading towards the Governor House were closed and a large number of security personnel were deployed at the Governor House and the Cavalry graveyard.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday chaired a meeting to finalise the security plan for the funeral of late Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer. Senior Advisor to the Chief Minister Sardar Zulfiqar Khosa, Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, MNA Marghoob Ahmad, Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, Acting IG Police and other senior officials attended the meeting. The participants condemned the assassination of the Punjab governor and also discussed arrangements for his burial.
The Punjab government has also formed an investigation team, led by additional DIG Nasir Durrani to probe the killing. DIG CID Mushtaq Sukhera and Shoaib Dastageer are also included in the team.
The PPP has announced a two-week mourning, while ceremonies to mark the birthday of PPP founder Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto have been cancelled.
The national flag will also be put at half mast for three days. PPP workers have staged protests in various cities of Punjab to condemn the assassination. Markets and shops shut down in the province as the news of the murder spread.
Governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer, who recently angered religious zealots with his statements against the controversial blasphemy laws, was assassinated by one of his own guards in an upmarket neighbourhood of Islamabad on Tuesday.
==========
ISLAMABAD: A first-information report (FIR) of the murder of Governor Salmaan Tasser was registered at the Kohsar police station on Wednesday.
The FIR has been lodged under clause 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code and clause seven of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The late governor’s son, Shehryar Taseer, has stated in the FIR that his father was assassinated on the motivation and support of some political and religious parties.
He has also revealed that his father constantly received death threats before being killed in the capital.
Investigations into the murder continued as the funeral funeral prayers were held today. A joint investigation team visited the the late governor’s assasination site to collect more evidence. Heavy police contigents were deployed at the spot to preserve the evidence.
The autopsy report was completed and will be sent to the Islamabad Superintendent of Police (SSP). The report said that the bullet to Taseer’s neck was the one that proved fatal.
In Kohsar market, nine people were taken into custody for questioning.
The investigation team will conduct a background check of the assassin and has decided to contact the elite training center in Lahore to extract more evidence.
Updated from print edition (below)
Learning from mistakes: Police extra vigilant about forensic evidence
With the aftermath of former premier Benazir Bhutto’s assassination on their mind, police investigators appeared to be putting in every effort to properly preserve forensic evidence from the murder site of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer.
The police cordoned off the site immediately and continued investigations for hours after Taseer was killed. Vigilant commanders from Rangers and police stood on guard as investigators collected evidence from the crime scene.
The careful exercise seemed to be an attempt by the police to avoid charges that their counterparts, deployed at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi at the time of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, had to face.
The site of Bhutto’s assassination was immediately hosed down after the gun-and-suicide attack outside the public park in Rawalpindi in 2007. Senior police officials are still facing charges in courts for ordering to hose down the murder scene.
“We are extra careful to make sure that every piece of evidence is preserved … we don’t want to leave any loopholes this time,” explained a police official.
At the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), several senior officials of the city’s police and administration remained on their toes until Taseer’s autopsy was completed. In Bhutto’s case, the police did not proceed with the postmortem because the family did not agree to it, a controversy that remains unresolved.
“We will make sure that the autopsy is done even if the family doesn’t want it,” a police official said as some of his officers pushed back several leaders from the Pakistan Peoples Party who were trying to storm into the Pims mortuary.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2011.
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Salmaan Taseer’s killing: ‘Political’ murder? Slain governor Salmaan Taseer received a state funeral in Lahore. PHOTO: EXPRESS
LAHORE/KARACHI: The ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has declared the killing of Governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer a “political murder” timed to occur during a serious political crisis threatening the embattled government.
Taseer, 66, was shot dead outside a café in Islamabad on Tuesday by one of his own security guards incensed by his statements against the controversial blasphemy laws.
It was a political murder, and it did not have any religious motivation, Law Minister Babar Awan, the most vocal cabinet member of the PPP, told journalists outside Taseer’s residence in Lahore. He demanded that the Punjab government unearth the “real motives” and expose “the real culprits.”
Awan also pointed to, what he called, “serious lapses” in Taseer’s security. He said the assassin guard – Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri – was assigned the duty notwithstanding a police special branch report which declared him unfit for the security of VVIPs. Awan faulted the Punjab government but said he was not blaming it for the murder.
The ruling PPP is scrambling to survive after two of its major coalition partners – the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazlur Rehman) – defected to the opposition last month. The law minister said that Taseer’s assassination was, in fact, an attempt to derail the democratic process and his party’s government.
Salmaan Taseer, a liberal politician close to President Asif Ali Zardari, was one of the most outspoken voices against religious extremism. Nonetheless, Awan said his murder was not motivated by religious fanaticism. Taseer was a political figure and he did not have differences with anyone, he added.
The minister said that, in a way, it was also a custodial murder because the Punjab government was responsible for Taseer’s security and it had failed to follow standard operating procedures.
While Awan was accentuating the political connotation of Taseer’s killing, President Asif Zardari said it was yet to be established that the murder was part of some broader conspiracy against the democratic system.
Speaking to PPP lawmakers at the Bilawal House in Karachi, Zardari said the real planners would be unmasked after investigations. He called Taseer’s murder “a great tragedy” and a “huge loss” for the PPP and vowed to convert it into strength for the party.
Rights groups have been calling for amending or repealing the blasphemy laws which they say are often exploited by religious conservatives as well as ordinary people to settle personal scores. But hard-line religious parties are strongly opposed to any changes in the controversial statute.
The fragile government of the PPP is walking a tight-rope on the issue making sure it does not offend the powerful religious right and ultimately lose vital support in the next election.
Religious parties have directed their wrath at the PPP, which, they believe, wants to amend or repeal the blasphemy laws. The party now feels it imperative to quash this perception. And the job has been assigned to Babar Awan, sources told The Express Tribune.
As a part of its strategy to defuse the situation, the PPP high command has decided to drag Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his Law Minister Rana Sanaullah into Governor Taseer’s murder to give it a political colour, the sources added.
Earlier, Salmaan Taseer was buried with state honour at Lahore’s Cavalry Ground Graveyard, also known as Shuhada Qabristan (the graveyard of martyrs). Thousands of people attended the funeral, braving tight security and defying threats from religious conservatives.
Some religious scholars had warned that anyone who expresses grief over the assassination could suffer the same fate.
Draped in the national flag, Taseer’s coffin was buried by his sons Shaheryar, Shahbaz and Shaan Taseer, as relatives looked on. A contingent of the Punjab police presented a guard of honour.
Attendees at the funeral included Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, some of his cabinet members, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah, Senate Chairperson Farooq H Naek and provincial ministers from Punjab. A number of leaders from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Q-League and other political parties, senior bureaucrats and a large number of civil society members and rights activists were also in attendance.
Taseer’s soyem will be held at the Punjab Governor House at 2pm on Thursday, January 6.
(With additional reporting by HAYAT UMAR & RANA TANVEER)
Published in The Express Tribune, January 6th, 2011.
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Taseer's murder: ATC hearing shifted to Islamabad
Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, the bodyguard arrested for the killing of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, will now appear before an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad. PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD: The anti-terrorism court (ATC) hearing Salmaan Taseer’s assassination case was shifted from Rawalpindi to Islamabad due to security concerns.
The commissioner issued the notification to shift the court. Police will now present the assassin, Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, in the court in Islamabad to get his physical remand.
A magistrate earlier sent the accused on transit remand, with instruction for police to produce him in an anti-terrorism court today (Thursday)
Dozens of people gathered outside the court during the hearing of the case.
FIA report sent
Meanwhile, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) sent its initial report to the Joint Investigation Team set up to probe the governor’s assassination.
The report states that Qadri was positioned in a position from where he could not be shot at, pointing out the positions of the other guards at the time of the attack.
The other bodyguard’s statements have yet to be recorded.
A separate investigation also revealed that former Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rawalpindi Special Branch Nasir Durrani had said that the killer was not fit for VIP security.
Durrani is heading the investigation team.
‘Religious parties are responsible’
A first information report (FIR) was registered yesterday at the Kohsar Police Station in Islamabad under clause 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code which pertains to murder and Clause 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The late governor’s son, Shehryar Taseer, said in the FIR that political and religious parties motivated and supported his father’s murder.
He has also revealed that his father constantly received death threats before being killed.
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Friday, January 07, 2011
COMMENT: Dying for the truth —Dr Mahjabeen Islam
Salmaan Taseer saw Islam as inclusive and maternal — after all the word rahman comes from the root word rahm, which means womb in Arabic. He wanted the state to be forgiving, nurturing and maternal the way that God is. As an educated and enlightened man, he was able to see things in the larger perspective rather than getting all fired up over a villager’s alleged disrespect
Quietly, in the recesses of your mind ask yourself who really represents Islam.
Is it that intrepid man who paid the ultimate price for “stand out firmly for justice even if it goes against yourselves your parents or your relatives” (Quran 4:135)? Or is it the bearded, turbaned, self-appointed custodians of Islam who celebrate murder and conspire to kill more, and who are thus going against the oft repeated, “If anyone kills one person, it is as though they have killed all of mankind” (Quran 5:32)?
When the Danish cartoons were published, the West was painstakingly made to understand that for Muslims the hierarchy of love, devotion and respect is God, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and parents. Whenever a Muslim takes the shahadah (bear witness) in sincerity, a bond is born with God and the Prophet (PBUH), but this is not one for exhibition, examination or critical display. Unless a person actually physically renounces Islam, he is not a blasphemer. And even if he does, on the basis of “there is no compulsion in religion” (Quran 2:256), the punishment is not to kill him. This fanatical face of Islam and the greatest disservice to it has been done by the ayatollahs, imams and sheikhs who need a reason to exist.
One of the great tragedies for current day Muslims is lack of a central religious authority like the Vatican where scholars with defined expertise could render judgment on contemporary issues. Al-Azhar in Egypt that comes somewhat close to that has unequivocally ruled on both murtads (renouncers of Islam) as well as suicide bombers. Death is not prescribed for one who renounces Islam. And suicide bombing is haram (forbidden). Simple.
Salmaan Taseer, the governor of Punjab died in harness, did not at anytime renounce Islam, nor disrespect the Prophet (PBUH). Islam is an evidence-based religion. And it is a benign, kind faith. It inclines toward forgiveness and second chances. It recognises the Satan that anger is and extols calmness: “The righteous are those that control their anger and forgive other people” (Quran 3:134).
We have a dual responsibility: as practitioners of the faith we will be called to account on the Day of Judgment for why we misrepresented it so and made it look so violent, hate-filled, vengeful and dinosaurian; and as Pakistanis we must rapidly rid our society of fanatical thought. For before too long there will be more and more hate-inspired killings and the fear that people have now of going out of their homes will seem minuscule. Anyone that veers from the line decided in some mullah’s mind is wajib-ul-qatl (worthy of murder) and the ease and frequency of such murders make it seem that we are at the verge of hordes of lunatics running rabid throughout the land wiping out anyone that dissents with their point of view.
In their great fervour, the mullahs of Pakistan have perhaps forgotten the concept of individual and collective sin. We will have to account for our sins individually but our religious leaders will have to pay/receive two times. If they inspire their congregations to do good deeds, they get a reward as well, but if they promote murder and mayhem, and especially if they do it in the name of Prophet Muhammad, “the one that was sent as a mercy to all mankind” (Quran 21:07), they might find themselves invoking God’s wrath rather than His grace.
It is a travesty that minorities and now ‘liberals’ receive and suffer death pronouncements in the name of a man (PBUH) who was the epitome of tolerance and manners. Historians (Sahih Bukhari, Tradition Number 1,311) report that as a funeral of a Jew passed before Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), as a sign of respect he stood up. In doing this, he showed respect and shared in the feeling of sorrow with the Jewish family and community. “Why did you stand up for a Jewish funeral?” he was asked. The Prophet replied: “Is it not a human soul?”
Salmaan Taseer stood beside a helpless Pakistani-Christian woman and appealed for her forgiveness and repeal of Pakistan’s archaic blasphemy laws that are used for personal and political gain. Salmaan Taseer saw Islam as inclusive and maternal — after all the word rahman comes from the root word rahm, which means womb in Arabic. He wanted the state to be forgiving, nurturing and maternal the way that God is. As an educated and enlightened man, he was able to see things in the larger perspective rather than getting all fired up over a villager’s alleged disrespect.
Islam promotes dialogue and is actually one of the few religions that stand up to harsh inquiry. But mullahs insist on blind faith and no questions. There is no evidence in the Prophet’s (PBUH) life or during the reign of the four caliphs that any action was taken against anyone regarding blasphemy. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was mistreated by a woman that threw garbage at him but he went to visit her when she was sick. Contrast this to the Facebook followers and the lawyers who praised and showered rose-petals on Mumtaz Quadri for murdering Salmaan Taseer.
They pelted stones at Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Taif and Gabriel said that God could wipe them out if Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) wanted. But the most magnificent of all men declined. Contrast this to the Jamat-e-Islami’s Asadullah Bhutto who declared that “the one who has killed Taseer is a pious man and will go to the Seventh Heaven”. And here I thought prophethood and revelation had stopped with Muhammad (PBUH).
Naseeruddin Shah brilliantly acted in ‘Khuda key liye’ and the line “with haram money in their pockets, they run all over town looking for zabiha [sacrifice] meat” is so pointedly representative of the mullah mindset that has taken over Pakistan, and is bent on razing it to the ground.
A few days before his death when questioned about his security detail and its insufficiency, Salmaan Taseer said: “Aaj bazaar main pa bajolan chalo/Rakhte Dil bandh lo Dil fagaro chalo/Phir hamen qatl ho ayen yaro chalo” (Today, let us walk through bazaar with feet in chains/ Pick up the burden of heart, let us go, heartbroken ones/ Let us offer ourselves, once again, for execution).
Few in Pakistan’s history were as frank and fearless as Salmaan Taseer, ready and willing to die for the truth. If we do not stand up as a nation to the flames of fanaticism, bigotry and hatred, Pakistan will self-destruct. In the foreseeable future.
The writer is a family physician, addictionist and freelance columnist with a practice in Toledo, Ohio-Dr Mahjabeen Islam
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VIEW: The forever governor —Reem Wasay
The underbelly of extremist Islam is swarming with individuals who would rather promote a desecrated dogma than salvage a strengthened sanctimony of compassion, human rights and tolerance
“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Salmaan Taseer left the Governor House with both honour and dignity intact. In a country where the megalomaniac pull of power and politics has sold many souls to the devil, our forever governor was a force to be reckoned with. Contrary to popular opinion, Salmaan Taseer did not offend people – he intimidated them. In a society harnessed to hate, that is a dangerous precedent to set.
Coming from a family distant from the flaws of feudalism, Salmaan Taseer was a rarity; he rose to gargantuan(Of immense size, volume, or capacity; gigantic) heights on no secondary shoulders but on his own two feet. Where dynasty and imaginary lineage have, for decades, mauled the mandate of true democracy and progress, Salmaan Taseer became a somebody from the long line of nobodies who live and rise among us. Defining a liberal Pakistani dream, Mr Taseer epitomised everything that this land promised its newly christened citizens back in 1947. His very existence demonstrated to people that even in this gloom and pallor of a state riddled with rustic curses, one man’s determination can free him of the antiquated sermon of submission that all us Pakistanis have fallen prey to. His life, travels, views, raw honesty, ascendance and dynamism emboldened the quiet moderates to voice their ideologies without fear for the very first time in a manner unheard of in a country rocked and ruled by men and women who have no identity because they have departed from integrity and progress. He was an intimidating man because he did not suffer the malaise of hypocrisy that has penetrated the pith and principle of most human beings in this land. He spoke his mind and he spoke it without fear, but with plenty of wit and, at times, stinging valour; it stung because he said what we all felt and knew was right but were too intimidated by the wrong factions to say it. Intimidation is a strange thing; it can either make you cower in submission or it can make you a gallant of Goliathan proportions.
Salmaan Taseer intimidated his peers, his subordinates, his fellow liberals and even the swarm of extremists who orchestrated and celebrated his death but are, in actuality, responsible for making the man into the first true martyr for a more liberal, more just Pakistan. ‘Muslims’ are so fond of quoting worldly examples to expunge(To erase or strike out: "I have corrected some factual slips, expunged some repetitions" (Kenneth Tynan).
To eliminate completely; annihilate. ) their irrationalities that I would like to take a leaf out of the bigot book for this. Many Muslims hold the opinion that God shows to the believers the true value of a man’s worth only in his death. Salmaan Taseer died fighting for a cause he believed in and that makes him a hero. Dear fanatics, what do you think God is trying to tell you? His last rites, the mammoth turnout of mourners to pay their final respects, a hero’s goodbye and the colossal grief that has confounded the country are not the reactions awarded to a sullied soul. In a nation where men and women have been booted out of power and governors have been unceremoniously kicked out of the Governor’s House – some without shoes on – Salmaan Taseer left with homage and honour. If we are so blinded by convictions, let us take stock of the man’s final farewell.
The Blasphemy law has demonstrated in practice that it is not a devout law; it is atonement for the lunatics who achieve their only worth in life on the burdened back of our Prophet’s (PBUH) exploited honour. The underbelly of extremist Islam is swarming with individuals who would rather promote a desecrated dogma than salvage a strengthened sanctimony of compassion, human rights and tolerance. The real blasphemy does not take place in open fields between women of two different cultures, different beliefs and different opinions; it takes place in the house of God where different edicts are screamed from the speakers by men who have made themselves false prophets – as warned from the times of Abraham.
Blasphemy occurs when the gunning down of a progressive is met with celebration instead of castigation and sanction instead of sentence. When mullahs incite further anger over the sands that falter on the grave of a man who had so much more to say, they practice blasphemy. They read upside down from their scriptures when they condemn any attempts at mourning and offering prayers for the fallen. They, by the very essence of their existence, are walking, breathing examples of blasphemy because they have intervened between God and man; they have demonised our own personal spirituality with their rituals, symbols, rules and rewards for violence. When a certain maulana on the television recently said that the governor’s death had no association with blasphemy but the anger generated in the people due to his “excessive” lifestyle, the bearded bastion’s arrogance screamed of blasphemy for he failed to grieve the death of a fellow citizen, something our Prophet (PBUH) would weep over. Such mullahs and radical rejectionists practice blasphemy by baying for the blood of a woman the governor died trying to set free.
It is time we fought fire with fire. If they can call voicing an opinion blasphemy, we can demonstrate extremist existence as blasphemy. A voice of moderation and liberal ideas has been snuffed out between the thorny fingers of misconstrued and manufactured ideologies. His death must not be in vain. It is time the PPP sprout a spine and address the very laws their governor died to amend. In the end, he was the lone voice in a rampage of irrationality; his party deserted him but he did not abandon a just cause. Blasphemy is real when we do nothing over the death of a true progressive. Blasphemy becomes us when we sit back in silence and drown out the rabid, white noise of the mercenaries of the minarets by ignoring these issues, a stance that Salman Taseer did not take. He truly was “the last man standing”; let us pay due tribute and work to amend the cruelty that comes with the blasphemy clauses.
The writer is an Assistant Editor, Daily Times. She can be reached at
reemk80@gmail.com
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EDITORIAL: Investigating tragedy
Emerging from the darkness that has engulfed this country in the wake of the tragic demise of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer are many myriad questions. Reports have indicated that while the murderer, Malik Mumtaz Qadri, emptied numerous bullets into his victim, no one else from among the security personnel stopped him during this rampage. However, further investigation reveals that the position from where Qadri fired and the way he carried out the operation made it very precarious for anyone to stop him. What actually happened is still a matter of speculation and the fact that some members of the elite force in the governor’s security convoy have been arrested is proof that the plan could very well have been known by other members of the convoy. What is genuinely irksome is the fact that the Islamabad police failed to provide security to the slain governor. In case of VIP movement, security is always provided by the police in whose jurisdiction the movement is taking place. The fact that the Islamabad inspector general of police had been aware of Salmaan Taseer’s presence in the capital but still failed to provide security is a question that will demand immediate answers.
One of the most alarming and glaring aspects of this case is the deployment of Qadri to the governor’s security detail. That an extremist could be allowed to get into such close proximity to a man who needed the best possible security (especially after the tough stance he had taken to get justice delivered to Aasia Bibi) is a cause for extreme distress. The whetting process for the selection of security personnel has come under intense scrutiny now as many questions are being asked as to the functioning of this all-important task. Just how careless have those in charge of the protection of our politicians become? More unsettling is the prospect that there was some conspiracy at work, allowing Qadri to be close to the governor, making his mission successful. If this is the case, investigating authorities will have to dig deep and look harder into the grimy circumstances surrounding Mr Taseer’s death. What this murder has made clear is the fact that these security convoys are penetrable and as such there now remains no fool-proof guarantee for VIPs, especially those who have taken a firm position on the blasphemy laws – they may be a minority but they are a desperately needed voice in this ocean of extremist madness.
Meanwhile the whole world has condemned the assassination. Everywhere from the US to Turkey and to the UN, an outpouring of condolences has come in to comfort the nation. Protests by workers of the PPP have started countrywide. It is recommended that the process of the law not be stalled when it comes to making sure that Qadri is brought to justice. With his case being sent to an anti-terrorism court and Qadri now being put on a five-day physical remand, we wait to see speedy and efficient justice. Any laxity could have the potential to drive party workers out into the streets in droves. It could also give the religious parties time to consolidate their efforts to make sure that Qadri is not punished. That is the last thing this blighted nation needs.
Qadri could become a warped hero for the obstructionist forces. The governor’s murder has clearly shown how the progressive political and democratic forces in this country are under siege. It has outlined the ever-deepening divide that has polarised society with galloping extremism on one end and the promise of a better, more progressive future tightly packed into a silent little corner on the other end. It is time to reassert political democracy to silence these voices of hate. For Salmaan Taseer that will be the best revenge. *
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Saturday, January 08, 2011
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COMMENT: Blood of a distinguished son of the soil —Naeem Tahir
The religious fanatics have silenced a voice of sanity. If the extremists continue to infiltrate the different ranks of society and its disciplined forces, then more murders will happen and the sane will continue to lose their lives
Blood on the concrete pavement was what the television screens showed. It was the blood of a distinguished human being, Salmaan Taseer, an outstanding son of the soil who worked hard and achieved a lot. He was a professional, a businessman, a politician, a friend and a family man. He also had the most valuable human asset — a sense of humour. Salmaan Taseer was and will remain a role model for a long time. May God bless his soul.
He laid down his life for a cause. He was one of the very few outspoken politicians and he did not mince his words. He boldly stood up for principles and justice for all. He believed that the innocent should not be persecuted without the appropriate process of the law. He believed that any law made by men could be reviewed if its practical implementation were faulty. Significantly, the first person to lay a bouquet of flowers on the blood stained pavement in Kohsar Market, outside the restaurant Table Talk, was the Ambassador of Spain in Islamabad, symbolic of the fact that Salmaan’s voice for justice was heard around the world.
The religious fanatics have silenced a voice of sanity. If the extremists continue to infiltrate the different ranks of society and its disciplined forces, then more murders will happen and the sane will continue to lose their lives. History is a witness to the fact that the voices of Khulafa-e-Rashideen (caliphs) were also silenced. What is going on? Are the Kharji, Salafi, Qutubi and other such extremists now using their sleeper cells after being pushed back in Waziristan? How deep has the cancer of extremism spread in the polity? Can the nation survive or is it going to succumb? It is a matter of life and death now. The learned ulema, civil society, establishment and particularly all the services that are issued arms must act immediately to control the menace. It is shocking that some lawyers presented flowers to the murderer of Salmaan Taseer when he was produced in the court. Who were they? Have the security forces identified them yet?
There is no question about a security lapse. Surely, it was a huge security lapse and the involvement of security personnel other than the murderer is almost certain. It is said that other members of the ‘elite force’ did not fire or overpower the assailant because there was an understanding between some of them to let Qadri complete his crime and only then arrest him alive. Obviously, there is planning in the crime and the desire to gain publicity after the assassination during court appearances. There are also statements being issued by some religious extremists showing no regret. If such people call themselves Muslims, then they need to study the Quran once more and understand the message of the Almighty, “He is the most Merciful and Beneficent.”
Also consider that this was not a case of an individual losing control in anger; the assassination was premeditated. On November 23, 2010, the Almi Tanzeem-e-Ahle Sunnat issued a decree saying that Salmaan Taseer was no longer a Muslim because he considered Aasia Bibi innocent and desired a review of the relevant law and the procedure of its application. Then Pir Afzal Qadri threatened that there were many like Ghazi Ilm Din who had killed a Hindu for blasphemy. This was an obvious indication for potential fanatics to follow suit. The Governor’s House started receiving threats of bomb blasts. Tehrik-e-Hurmat-e-Rasool leader Qari Sheikh Yaqoob demanded the death penalty for Salmaan Taseer. These actions were also reported in the national press. There were echoes of similar demands and edicts from other groups that claim to be very righteous. In short, Taseer was being labelled a non-Muslim, threatened to meet with the fate of a Hindu blasphemer and liable for the death penalty. Following all this, tempers were whipped up further with rallies and sermons. In spite of the clarifications issued by Salmaan Taseer, it is clear that the intent to eliminate him persisted.
In this situation, the responsibility of the security providers should have increased manifold. It is shocking that the assassin, Mumtaz Qadri, found his way back into the Punjab Elite Force protecting Salmaan Taseer. Five years ago, Qadri was declared unfit for VIP duty due to his religious fanaticism. It is almost impossible to believe that some of the providers of security to Salmaan Taseer were not involved in the conspiracy. Also responsible are the higher-ups that recruit such persons. An immediate cleanup must be taken in hand. One expected a crackdown within 24 hours. Exemplary punishment must be given immediately; delay is counter-productive.
May I ask the honourable courts why they are turning a blind eye to the threats? Has there been an enquiry pertaining to whether the court in Nankana Sahib announced the conviction of Aasia Bibi under threats or on merit?
Threats and incentives for murder were issued in the case of the Governor Punjab, Salmaan Taseer, and continue to be issued to others. Head money is being offered for other murders as was offered in the case of Salmaan Taseer. Are the judges so concerned for their own personal safety that they do not take suo motu notice? Talal Bugti, a cleric in Peshawar, and another in Rawalpindi have been reported for open incitement for murder. The press has done its duty and has brought such activities to the notice of public. What is the use of all this if the law does not take its course and justice is not enforced? If a government, federal or provincial, cannot find protection for its citizens, even for its distinguished leaders, or apprehend those issuing threats and incitements, then does it have any justification to be there? I hope the sectors responsible for security see this crime as their last chance to prove their worth in enforcing justice and cleansing the system. Please do not wait for all the voices of sanity to be silenced.
The writer is a culture and media management specialist, a researcher, author, director and actor
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Saturday, January 08, 2011
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EDITORIAL: Justice for Taseer
Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer’s murder trial has not yet begun but the way the supporters of his killer, Mumtaz Qadri, are trying to intimidate the judiciary as well as the legal fraternity is a cause for worry.
On Thursday, Qadri was supposed to be presented before a judge at a temporary court set up in Islamabad instead of the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi, ostensibly due to security concerns. Qadri was taken to Islamabad but after a few hours he had to be taken back to Rawalpindi because ATC Judge Malik Akram Awan cited some legal bindings that “did not allow the judge to hold the ATC anywhere else but its designated courtroom”. The fact that Justice Awan had previously agreed to hear the case in Islamabad means that there were sound legal grounds and the legal bindings that he later cited were only to paper over the real reasons for his decision. Apparently the hooligans and the lawyers who support Qadri created quite a ruckus by surrounding the ATC and preventing the judge from leaving for Islamabad.
On top of that, no public prosecutor showed up at the ATC for fear of reprisals. A five day remand for Qadri was given by the judge after the police officers concerned argued the case. All this just goes to show how powerful the extremist forces are.
Under these circumstances, it would not be wrong to ask if there would be a fair trial. Judges and prosecutors would definitely be under extreme pressure once the murder trial begins in earnest. This is the age-old tool used by the extremists to exert pressure on the judiciary when they want a verdict to go their way. We have seen this phenomenon at work especially in cases involving alleged blasphemy. Pressure from local clerics and their supporters is the reason why most of the blasphemy accused are handed down death sentences in the first place. It will be a test for the state and government to make sure that they provide swift justice to the Taseer family. The government must combat this pressure. It cannot allow the fanatics to subvert due process. If the PPP government cannot ensure a fair trial for Salmaan Taseer, who was assassinated while he was a sitting governor, then how can it possibly provide justice to the masses? We expect the now independent judiciary too to ensure the ends of justice.
Governor Taseer’s murder is a political murder but the way the PPP is colouring it is open to question. There was definitely a security lapse by the Punjab government, for which it should be held responsible, but to suggest that blame for the murder lies on the Nawaz-League may be jumping the gun. The PML-N does have a soft corner for the extremist forces and had no love lost for the late governor, but accusing the Sharifs of Mr Taseer’s murder even before investigations are completed seems inappropriate and dangerous for peace. This murder, ostensibly carried out in the name of religion, is in essence political. This is a reality that discerning minds already accept and the country will have to acknowledge in the coming days. Religion and politics are intertwined and this evident truth can be seen in the way a section of our society reacted to Mr Taseer’s brutal murder. No one in a civilised society would ever celebrate the death of an innocent man. What we saw in Pakistan was appalling, but perhaps no surprise. Until and unless there is a separation of religion and the state, Pakistani society will get uglier with every passing day. Secularism is the key to a democratic, progressive Pakistan. We must not let the mullahs suffocate the liberal voices. It is time to stand up. It is time to say no to mullah-gardi (clergy-instigated violence). *
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Sunday, January 09, 2011
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Sentiments were exploited against Salmaan Taseer: Ashrafi
* Pakistan Ulema Council chairman says whosoever declared it was justified to kill Taseer should come on media to prove his claim before nation
Daily Times Monitor
LAHORE: Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Allama Tahir Ashrafi has admitted that late Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer was right in his claims regarding the misuse of the blasphemy law against minorities and said that sentiments were exploited against him, a private TV channel reported on Saturday.
Ashrafi maintained that there had been several statements of Taseer, in which he had condemned the blasphemy, adding that not only the late governor, but many Ulemas, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leaders had also spoken in similar manner.
He pointed out that none of them was a mufti, who decreed that Taseer had turned to be a non-believer, saying that it was the work of a mufti and Darul Iftaa to deliver such edicts.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman and Abul Khair Zubair, a few days back, maintained that no authentic mufti gave an edict of killing Taseer, the channel quoted Ashrafi as saying.
The PUC chairman questioned that why the blasphemy law was not implemented when on 12th Rabbiul Awwal of this Islamic year (in 2010), some 750 copies of the holy Quran and several books of Hadith and Tafseer were set on fire by unidentified people at late Allama Ziaul Haq Qasmi’s residence in Faisalabad and a footage of this incident was also present.
“After the incident, Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman Sahibzada Fazal Karim sought registration of an FIR under 295-C against Zahid Qasmi, son of late Qasmi. Both the sides, sects ‘Deobandi’ and ‘Barelvi’, requested police seeking FIRs against each other, but the issue was resolved later,” he recalled and questioned why such a settlement was not counted as blasphemy or profanity, the channel reported.
Ashrafi also questioned that the case of Aasia Bibi was in court and “if the high court releases her”, the clerics would, then, accept this decision or not. Adding to the same point, he said, “If the clerics accepts her release by the high court, then who would be responsible for Salmaan Taseer’s blood.”
He strongly criticised those who had been providing safety to the murdered the governor, the channel said.
Ashrafi further said,
“If an accused says that he/she has not committed blasphemy, even Ulema-e-Ahnaf have the capacity to acquit him/her.”Salmaan’s matter was political, he added.
He questioned why this matter gained attention when Fazlur Rehman quitted the coalition. He also said that Mazhar Saeed Kazmi, brother of former religious minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi, was now saying that it was not appropriate to offer the funeral prayers of Salmaan Taseer. “This is so unfortunate. Why Kazmi did not talk such thing when he was enjoying the ministry of religious affairs,” he added.
Neither Salmaan Taseer was Rajpal nor Mumtaz Qadri was Ghazi Ilm Din Shaheed, the PUC chairman said and claimed that even the most impious person could not dare to commit blasphemy. Salmaan’s statement was on record and he could not even imagine doing so, he maintained.
He recalled that Taseer’s father MD Taseer was the person who provided a death-bed to Ghazi Ilm Din Shaheed and Syed Ataullah Shah Bukhari called Taseer’s mother his sister. He said that the governor could be a bold person, offensive to a maulvi but he could not be a blasphemer. Ashrafi said that the one who declared that it was justified to kill Salmaan Taseer should come on media and prove it in front of the nation.
Senior Analyst Syed Mumtaz Shah, who also participated in the TV programme, said that, in 1981, there was a baton-carrying mob, in which two parties were raising different voices on Naara e Risaalat and were harming each other. One was saying Ya Rasool Allah and the other was saying Muhammad-ur Rasool Allah, he said, adding that cases were filed against each other.
Renowned Journalist Abbas Athar said that Barelvi ulemas banned offering Salmaan’s funeral prayers, adding that they had also remarked on the funerals of Lal Mosque’s girls that they were against the state. He questioned that did Mumtaz Qadri, being on duty, showed his loyalty with the state by shooting the governor. He asked that why not his treachery be highlighted. He also said that the biggest problem in the blasphemy law was that “when anyone gets blamed for committing blasphemy then it suddenly becomes a mob’s law”. He said that whenever it would be exposed there would be money behind the assassin and conspiracy too, adding that Mumtaz Qadri was not alone in it.
Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) member Azam Nazeer Tararr advocate said that everyone was agreed on the punishment of blasphemy, but haste was used while imposing it. He said that an inquiry should be made for complaints against the government officials, adding that “our problem is that the law is handed over to those who don’t have any training to bear the public pressure and use to surrender in front of it”. He said that according to the constitution, everyone had the right to defend themselves, adding that Article 4 and 9 defended the basic rights of living. He further said that extrajudicial killing was the violation of the constitution and human rights, adding that Taseer’s murder was an extrajudicial killing, which could not be justified.
He further said that there was a decision of the Lahore High Court (LHC) former chief justice, Khawaja Sharif, present in the light of a Hadith saying that “the Prophet (PBUH) said that 10 guilty ones can be freed but no innocent can be punished on the base of doubt”, the channel said.
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A novel set in 1757 during the French and Indian War in the forests of what was later to become the upper portion of New York State; first published in 1826.
by James Fenimore Cooper
Synopsis
The frontiersman Hawkeye and his two Indian friends become involved in a struggle to guide two English sir's to see their father. They later rescue the girls after their capture by a renegade Indian.
The writer is Editor Investigations, The Express Tribune, Islamabad and author of Ek Siyasat, Kaee Kahanian rauf.klasra@tribune.com.pk
When I heard the shocking news of Salmaan Taseer’s assassination at the hands of his own security guard, my instant reaction was that we had lost the last of the Mohicans. The bullets that pierced through Mr Taseer’s body killed the souls of millions of moderate people who had not allowed militancy and violence to dictate their lives, even in what had been considered difficult times. But at that moment, I felt that the difficult times had just begun.
The Last of the Mohicans — James Fenimore Cooper’s most popular work which remains one of the most widely read novels across the world — has impacted the way many view both the American Indians and the frontier period of American history. The romanticised images of the strong, fearless, and ever resourceful frontiersman (i.e. Natty Bumppo), as well as the stoic, wise, and noble ‘red man’ (i.e. Chingachgook) were derived from Cooper’s characterisations more than from anywhere else. And the phrase, ‘the last of the Mohicans’, has often been used to refer to the sole survivor of a noble race.
The place where Salmaan Taseer was murdered is a favourite haunt of Islamabad-based journalists. Hardly a week back, I had taken my journalist friend Shahzad Raza (who once worked at Daily Times, published by Salmaan Taseer), for a lunch at the restaurant outside which he was silenced. Shahzad is currently studying in the US and was in Islamabad on a brief holiday. I don’t know why we both started discussing the bold stance taken by Salmaan Taseer in favour of Aasia Bibi. I did not have the remotest idea that one week later, I would be reading a depressing email from Shahzad — he is now back in the US — who was feeling ashamed in front of his American classmates. His long phone call from Washington, in search of much-needed answers from me, did not help either since I, too, was at a loss to say anything.
I liked the blunt and friendly Taseer from the moment I got to know him — though he would often complain about some of my stories being against him. But, like a true politician and a forthright man, he would not make you feel as if you were meeting him for the first time. I met him first at his house in Islamabad where I went to meet Najam Sethi. We were considering the possibility of me joining the new reporting team at Daily Times. Mr Taseer came down from upstairs with a smiling face. I liked his informal style of greeting us — and this was only the beginning.
One day, he came to Islamabad and took me to a restaurant where, over lunch, we had a long discussion on his political views. I never found him short of replies to my pointed and loaded questions. But, I really got a chance to know him when one afternoon, on a Lahore bound flight, I found Governor Taseer sitting next to me. We soon learnt that we were both admirers of Mario Puzo’s The Godfather. He smiled and quoted from the book when I asked him about his love-hate relationship with the Punjab government: “Revenge is a dish, best eaten cold”. This one line fully conveyed his political philosophy.
Mario Puzo (1920-1999)
1969 The Godfather. After two previous critically acclaimed but unpopular novels, Puzo produces what has been described as the fastest-selling novel in American history. The story of Don Vito Corleone's career as a Mafia don remains number one on the bestseller list for sixty-seven weeks and sells eight million paperback copies. Puzo would share the Academy Award with Francis Ford Coppola for their screenplays for The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather, Part II (1974), the first two films based on the novel. Puzo would follow up his success with other popular novels about organized crime: The Sicilian (1984), The Last Don (1996), and Omerta (2000).
A talkative Taseer told me several tales during the one-hour journey to Lahore. “Why don’t you come for dinner at the Governor House tonight, so I can tell you some interesting past tales”, he asked me when he found me fully lost in his mesmerising life story. I could not find time to meet him that night, but we agreed to meet at another time. This brief journey greatly helped me understand the brave soul of this man, who was not afraid of anyone, not even those who were out to silence him.
My last meeting with Salmaan Taseer took place in the last week of December. This was a Sunday. He called to invite me to a dinner he was hosting in honour of a western ambassador. Usually, I don’t answer calls from unknown numbers, so his efforts to contact me remained futile. Finally, I got a text message from Farrukh Shah, his spokesman, saying Governor Taseer wanted to talk. I called him back. As I was about to apologise for not taking his calls, he laughed and said: “You seem more worried about your own security than me so you don’t bother to answer phones of people not in your contact list”.
The last text message contact I made with him was only two days before his assassination. I was working on a story and it struck me that Governor Taseer could be the best source to reconfirm things ‘off the record’. He did not disappoint me either, immediately replying by texting “will try”.
Unlike our ruthless and indifferent ruling elite, Salmaan Taseer stood for certain principles, whether we liked them or not. He was an honourable man who died while trying to save the life of a poor Christian woman, Aasia Bibi, a mother of six children including a ten-year-old handicapped girl. It will go down in history that a governor of a province, (ironically himself a father of six children, like Aasia Bibi), laid down his own life not for some personal or family gains, but for the sake of a mother on death row.
After witnessing deafening and shameful silence all around after this most foul assassination, I can say Salmaan Taseer was the Last of the Mohicans in today’s Pakistan — a man we will miss in the days to come, as our motherland seems to be slipping fast into the quagmire of militancy and extremism, without any matching response from parliament, government or society, which have been made hostage at a gunpoint by a minority, mainly thanks to our impotent leadership.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 11th, 2011.
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