Shahbaz Taseer abducted from Lahore

By Asad Kharal / Express

Published: August 26, 2011





Shahbaz Taseer, son of former governor Salmaan Taseer. PHOTO: TMN/FILE

LAHORE: Shahbaz Taseer, son of late Governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer, was abducted from the Gulberg area of Lahore on Friday.

The Express Tribune’s Asad Kharal reports Taseer had left his house from Cavalry Ground in his silver Mercedes Kompressor (LZT-1) for his office around 10:15am. Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Lahore said his car was intercepted by a black SUV and motorbike around 600 yards from the office and up to three men dragged Taseer out of the car and took him away.

Family sources said they had been informed of the kidnapping when a company driver passing by the area saw Taseer’s car abandoned in the street.

The kidnappers headed to Firdous Market via Cavalry Flyover, which leads straight to DHA Lahore and the cantonment areas. A traffic warden in the area reported a black SUV, white corolla and a motorbike sped through the area and made a sharp turn, which resulted in a black Kalashnikov dropping out of one of the cars.

“Shabhaz was out with a friend when four unidentified people kidnapped him,” his brother Sheryar Taseer told Reuters.

“Our family has been receiving threats from the Taliban and extremist groups,” he said, adding they could be behind the abduction.

Official sources said Shahbaz Taseer had some property disputes and had also been receiving threats recently.

No one has claimed responsibility.

Taseer was travelling without any security today and is normally reported to have travelled in a silver Prado with Elite force and police guards.

Police is also retrieving CCTV footage from the area to help with investigations.

One of the guards posted with Shahbaz Taseer was taken into custody and had his weapon seized when police questioned him and he revealed another guard was on leave. He had not left the house with Taseer but had later been told to go to the office.

Two police personnal, Liaquat and Sharafat, were posted with Taseer.

Police officials said the Taseer family had a total of 12 police and five Rangers personnel posted with them.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has taken notice of the incident and has issued directives to Inspector General of Police (IG) Punjab and Chief Secretary Punjab to take immediate action.

A Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) team, on the directives of Director Punjab and Interior Minister Rehman Malik, has started investigations.

A National Response Center for Cyber Crimes (NR3C) team visited the office, home and checked Shahbaz Taseer’s car to collect forensic evidence. The team consisted of Deputy Director NR3C Sajjid Akram Chaudhry, SHO NR3C Ahmer Naeem, forensic expert Abdul Ghaffar and hardware engineer Muhammad Usman.
Background

Shahbaz Taseer, who is the eldest son of former governor Salmaan Taseer, Shahbaz Taseer is a director in several companies his father founded, including Pace Pakistan Ltd., First Capital Equities Ltd., Media Times Ltd. and First Capital Securities Corp. Ltd.

This is the second high profile kidnapping in Lahore during the last two weeks. Earlier on August 13, armed men had abducted US aid expert Warren Weinstein from his residence in the city.

Late governor of Punjab, Salmaan Taseer was shot dead on January 4 this year by his security guard.

A vocal critic of the blasphemy law, Salmaan Taseer showed his overwhelming support for Aasia Bibi, the woman charged with making disrespectful remarks against the Holy Prophet (pbuh), and condemned the controversial law on several occasions.

(Read: Taseer’s remarks about blasphemy law)

Last week, the cleric who led the funeral prayers for Salmaan Taseerwas forced to flee the country following threats.

According to a report by the Press Trust of India, Muhammad Afzal Chishti, the secretary general of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Ulema wing, left the country after having received numerous threats against his life.

For more on this issue follow: shahbaztaseer
.


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Reader Comments (67)

All Comments
Reader's Recommendations
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bulbul

2 hours ago

Reply



Oh no…….. this is sad…. =(

btw….. the car he was driving LZT 1 is using fake number plates…

MERCEDEZ – SLK 200
Registeration Date 2005-08-17 00:00:00.0
Vehicle Price 5622474
Year of Manufacture 2005
Color COOL RED

Recommend11.
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sulman

2 hours ago

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Soo…the traffic wardens just watched this happen?
wtf…

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Asma

2 hours ago

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so much sorry to hear abt it… i wonder will a news ever make its way to any paper or site within half an our if my or any commoner’s brother or son is abducted! i dun think so…. sad sad Pakistan

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Dee

2 hours ago

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sad :(

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M.Akthar

2 hours ago

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Now Popular Qadri will be released in exchange. Wait & watch this space.

Recommend41.
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Usman Ahmad

2 hours ago

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Will he be murdered too? How unfortunate…! No body is safe in this country save zardari!

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D

2 hours ago

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Oh my God. poor family was already suffering.

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Chacha

2 hours ago

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If this is true then it implies that murders of Taseer and Bhatti and the extremism and intolerance that such acts displayed were not isolated incidents, extremism is now part of mainstream Pakistan.

Recommend34.
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basharat

2 hours ago

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May God he remains safe and joins his family unharmed.

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Tanzeel

2 hours ago

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So far no notable development taken place in Salman Taseer’s murder, now his son abducted. it will be interesting to see how Punjab Govt esp Rana Sanaullah responds to this case, not to mention they have recovered American National in just 3-4 days from Khushaab. Resources are there, eye witnesses are there what we they need is WILL.

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M. A. Changezi

2 hours ago

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“Late Governor” not “Later Governor”. Correction please. :)

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MS - Mariya

2 hours ago

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sad :-((

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SharifL

2 hours ago

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It appears the surest way to live in Pakistan is: praise the lord and follow the faith blindly and 100%.
Shame really.

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Sana Baig

2 hours ago

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Give vote to PML(N), PTI and we all will see how these extremist element will nurture further. End to Drone attacks will make this country a talibanistan for sure. May these hypocrites burn in fire of H3ll and their political career slither in oblivion forever

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Noman Ansari

2 hours ago

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This is so terrible! :(

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Sana Baig

2 hours ago

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Put End to this PML(N), taliban party !!

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Arindom

2 hours ago

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Situation getting sadder and more pathetic by the day….
….But we still want Kashmir!! LOL!

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Yasin Ali

2 hours ago

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Rana Sanaullah and CM Shahbaz: why did you withdraw security from Taseer Family?Recommend11.
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Imran

2 hours ago

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Completely unacceptable. Now the ransom demand to release Salman’s killer will come!! Ridiculous!

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Abdul Rehman Gilani

2 hours ago

Reply



Awww, seculars and liberals start crying again…..
start chanting against the state of Pakistan and call it a failed one,
start speaking about so-called extremism in Pakistan. demonizing the role of clerics, and giving a “fatwaa” that Pakistan was meant to be a secular state …..
start lamenting about the apparent in vain death of salman taseer( who is NOT a martyr but was an open drinker)
and finally repeat the same drama of dreaming that Pakistan becomes liberal…..

Honestly, this self-centred, self-pitiful attitude of seculars/liberals is disgusting, they dont deserve any sympathy.( I will be dubbed as an extremist for this frank, curt and truthful opinion)

Judging by the media hype and pressure, I can guarantee safely that shahbaz will be freed in a few days.

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Atif Anjum

2 hours ago

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@Chacha:
Please stop propaganda and conspiracy theory against Pakistan and Pakistani and Islam. Let some useful information come to media, who kidnapped him and why.

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Atif Anjum

2 hours ago

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@Chacha:
btw, did you type at least one comments on the news when a christian extremist killed 94 People in Norway?

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A Rehman

2 hours ago

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Very sad. Punjab government sleeping.Recommend5.
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Atif Anjum

2 hours ago

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@Sana Baig:
How you claim, he has been kidnapped by any banned group, when no report has been come yet, actual extremist is in you, who always think on one way

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Yasin Ali

2 hours ago

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Even Punjab Government is Impotent …. They can hardly avert any crisis . Just when Mowlana Chisti left country due to insecurity … how on earth they couldnt got serious about Shaheed Salman Taseer Family .

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maestro

2 hours ago

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@Abdul Rehman Gilani:
So he was an open drinker! So what???? At least he wasn’t drinking anyone’s blood! We answer to God only!! May Allah have mercy on the Taseer family and may Qadri and all kafir monsters like him burn in hell!Recommend31.
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Atif Anjum

2 hours ago

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@Abdul Rehman Gilani:
100% right brother …

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poppy

an hour ago

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this is not sad, its more than that, its horrible, terrible,…..
stop praying and do something.

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teng chu

an hour ago

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foreign hand should not be ruled out

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ZM

an hour ago

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The Taseers are paying a price for ‘OUR STUPID SILENCE’. We all know what is happening in Pakistan and the world over. Why are we doing nothing about it? What is this stupid act of self preservation that will eventually lead to a holocaust in this region. I’m telling you all… the fundos will kill us all one by one if we don’t stop this madness. We need a guerrilla strategy now to deal with supporters and condoners of extremism and mob culture. Laaton kay bhoot baaton say nahin maantay. Religious sermons, congregations, Daras etc should all be banned ‘UNTIL’ a clear ‘peace and freedom for all’ agenda is promised and exercised in all mosques and private sermons, indiscriminately, because we are also attacked and targeted the same way too.

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Arindom

an hour ago

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@MS – Mariya:

funny you feel sorry – or is that what is known as ‘crocodile tears’ ? Only the other day you were a tigress defending the forces of obscurantism and fanatism?

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loose dhoti

an hour ago

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@Arindom: its about a guy being kidnapped, you want us to give you kashmir for that.

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Uncle J

an hour ago

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@Abdul Rehman Ghani and Atif Anjum:

Wtf is wrong with you? Why would we Pakistanis care what’s happening in Norway? Apnay mulk main maslay kam hain? Shahbaz Taseer was abducted in Pakistan by Pakistanis. Are you telling me his abductors are not terrorists? Are you telling me the death of a man means nothing to you? is this what Islam has taught you?

You have twisted, warped and completely torn apart Islam with your moribund idiosyncracies. Shame on you and all those like you. A man’s father was murdered. Later he is kidnapped. And you want us to focus of Norway?

Shame on you. Just shame on you.

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khan

an hour ago

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@Abdul Rehman Gilani
re: NOT a martyr but was an open drinker

According to your opinion drinking of alcohol cancels shahadats.

This blinkered logic would suggest that the Hazrat Hamza ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib does not deserve to be called a martyr after courageously sacrificing his life for Islam in the Battle of Uhud?

What kind of Muslim are you?

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MS - Mariya

an hour ago

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@Abdul Rehman Gilani:
secular and liberal crying? Every pakistani should cry when an indivdual gets kidnapped. Every Pakistani should cry when a human being gets killed for his personal opinion in this country.

No this country is not a failed state but people like you has messed my country.

‘open drinker’..well our founding father Jinnah was an open drinker. What are you doing in his country?

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Adil

an hour ago

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Sad. No one would have had the audacity to even think of perpetrating such an act had his dad been alive. How times change….

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Rubab A. Zaidi

an hour ago

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May God he remains safe and joins his family unharmed

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Atif Anjum

an hour ago

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@All
Amazing, How people are commenting on kidnapping of a rich guy, while no report came yet who kidnapped him, and why. It may by possible his ex-girl friend may be involved or wat else. But not one commenting on the cruelty on “Rights violation: Over 2,000 found buried in Kashmir’s unmarked graves” , instead indian are supporting their army for this animal act.

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Annum

an hour ago

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@Abdul Rehman Gillani
If your accusing “liberals and secular” of demonizing, than please realize you’re falling trap to your own criticism. Why is there a need to hate and reduce other people’s beliefs all the time.

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Uncle Sam

an hour ago

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Another kidnapping. Hmmm…

A great man said


Death of one is a tragedy. Death of many is a statistics.

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Adeel759

an hour ago

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@Gilani. “Liberals font deserve sympathy”. Why do you gave to state thah, extremist like you are proving that. But know this Mr Gilani, thanks to you and your brother Qadri The Killer Pakistan has become what it is today. Liberals may not deserve sympathy, people like you font deserve a place in this country. You better move to Afghanistan Or Saudi Arabia, so you could practice your beloved religion openly, with your hands cut.Recommend11.
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MS - Mariya

an hour ago

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@khan:
@Uncle J:
excellent reply to crazy Gilani.

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Atif Anjum

an hour ago

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@Uncle J:
from what sources you claim that Shahbaz Taseer was abducted by Pakistanis or by pakistani muslims? and why you involve islam in his abduction? Shame on you who always blame Islam on each issue without any facts n figures

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Loneliberal PK

an hour ago

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Abdul Rehman Gilani,
At this point it is only the ignorant and the moronic who are smiling. This is bigger than seculars and Islamists. Atrocities like these adversely affect the future of this country, which is a loss for both sides.

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Abbas

an hour ago

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Pakistan was made to break the so called super powers, so they don’t want us to live in peace.
May Allah bring home safe, enshAllah.

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Me

an hour ago

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Terrible news, may they recover him alive and well Inshallah. My prayers are with the Taseers.

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Arindom

an hour ago

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@loose dhoti: read Atif Anjum’s comment and you’ll what I meant! LOL!
@Atif Anjum: exactly…….you are going down the drain…..but still want Kashmir!!

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ju

an hour ago

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@MS – Mariya:
yah :/ :P hahahahahahhahhahahahahah

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epicurus

an hour ago

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@Abdul Rehman Gilani:
bhaisaab, why will the seculars and the liberals not cry?????
salmaan tasser’s another son aatish tasser is a renowned writer traveeling across india, without any isues, where his father is known as a late minister to india’s enemy no 1, and here in pakistan, where his father was a late minister, his son is kidnapped in public…tch tch….the religiously pious have a lot to answwer,,,,,,,,

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usman

an hour ago

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One thing has clearly been established: Abdul Rehman Gilani is not the smartest tool in the shed

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