Adil Najam
Salman Taseer – Governor Punjab, businessman, media mogul, PPP leader – was gunned down outside a restaurant in Kohsar Market, Islamabad, by one of his own guards. The guard – reportedly, a Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri – was part of the security Elite Force depute assigned to keep Salman Taseer safe gunned down the Punjab Governor with as many as 27 bullets. Later the guard handed himself to the police and said that he had killed Salman Taseer because of his vocal opposition to the Blasphemy Law.
Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri may have pulled the trigger but let us all hang our head in shame today because Salman Taseer was killed by the intolerance, the hatred, the extremism, the vigilantism, the violence and the jahalat that now defines our society. He was killed by the unchecked abundance of false sanctimony where custodians of morality have been breathing fire and instigating violence. Each one of us, including his own party, should be ashamed today for having tolerated the pall of intolerance that has eventually gunned down this man. Today’s Pakistan is defined by Mumtaz Hussain Qadris. They exist all around us. And it is all of us who tolerate them and their intolerance. It is this tolerance of intolerance that kills.
Today, it claimed yet one more victim.
Just as one example of many that we should have been paying heed to already, it was less than a month ago that a dispicable man in Peshawar was publicly offering money to anyone who would murder in the name of the blasphemy law. The news flashed on the media. Was highlighted in disgust by those like us. Yet, no action was taken; indeed, not even note was taken by those in power. It was ignored as mere ‘josh i khitaabat’ and emotionalism. It was obviously more. The tragedy is that there are too many like this man. Are people like him not responsible for spreading hatred and the results of that hatred? People instigating violence. People celebrating violence. People supporting violence. All of these people are responsible for Salman Taseer’s death. As are all of those who have stood silent and let these merchants of violence sell their wares. (Full story here).
At one level the details of what exactly happened in Islamabad today are less important than what we have allowed to happen in our societies for all the years that have led to this day, but for those who may not have seen the (still developing) details, here is an update from Dawn:
Gunmen killed the governor of Pakistan’s Punjab province, a senior member of the ruling party, in Islamabad on Tuesday, his spokesman said. “Yes, he has died,” said the spokesman for Salman Taseer. Police official Mohammad Iftikhar said Taseer was gunned down by one of his elite security force protectors. Five other people were wounded as other security personnel responded to the attack. Police said earlier Taseer had been shot nine times and wounded near his Islamabad home in the F6 sector and close to Kohsar market, a popular shopping and cafe spot frequented by wealthy Pakistanis and expatriates.
Another police official, Hasan Iqbal, said a pair of witnesses told the police that as the governor was leaving his vehicle, a man from his security squad fired at him. Taseer then fell, while other police officials fired on the attacker. In recent days, as the People’s Party has faced the loss of its coalition partners, the 56-year-old Taseer has insisted that the government will survive. But it was his stance against the blasphemy laws that apparently led to his killing.
Interior Minister Rahman Malik told reporters that the suspect in the case had surrendered to police and told them he killed Taseer because “the governor described the blasphemy laws as a black law.” Taseer was believed to be meeting someone for a meal, Malik said. Other members of his security detail were being questioned, Malik said. The security for Taseer was provided by the Punjab government. “We will see whether it was an individual act or someone had asked him” to do it, Malik said of the attacker.
May Allah bless his soul. He was a face of a Pakistan that was meant to be and is killed by Qadris produced and raised by Maulanas, Zias and Shareefs Pakistan. Unfortunately, majority of Pakistanis are brainwashed for decades in the name of Islam. This is not the Pakistan of Jinnah or Bhutto.
Look at the devil’s face, I see a dark soul.
Now whoever does not condemn this killing and justifies it [ Maulanas will come up for it] , people of Pakistan and media should just boycott them. No more showing on media. Media has to realize that they have to play a role in rebuilding Pakistan.
I am looking at Geo and amazed at the political reactions. An idiot criminal joker, supposedly a “leader” of JUI, is saying that he is not sad at the death and essentially saying that Salman Taseer deserved this and this was “Allah Ki Marzi.” What an insult to Allah Himself! This is real blaphemy.
Salman Taseer becomes another innocent victim of the mad, hateful and violent extremists who have murdered thousands of Pakistanis.
To,
Mechanical Engineer, Allahkabanda, King and Faheem and all those who are condoning Salman Taseer’s brutal murder:
Once our beloved Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (sallalh-o-aleh wa’aalih-e-wasaalum) was sitting with people and a Jew came and said, “sama lekum,” which means in Arabic ‘may you die’. Hazrat Ayesha (raziAllah ta’aala anha) immediate replied, “walekum,” meaning tum par bhi (on you too). Our beloved Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (sallalh-o-aleh wa’aalih-e-wasaalum) said to her: “Ayesha narmi ikhtiyaar karo. Khuda narmi ko pasand karta hai.” Meaning ‘Adopt softness and mercy as God likes these virtues’.
Now, isn’t wishing death to our beloved Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (sallalh-o-aleh wa’aalih-e-wasaalum) to his face blaspemy? Don’t you think if Our beloved Prophet our beloved Prophet (sallalh-o-aleh wa’aalih-e-wasaalum) wanted, he could have ordered his people to kill the Jew or insult him? What he chose is the way of forgiveness and asking . And by forgiving him, our beloved Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (sallalh-o-aleh wa’aalih-e-wasaalum) showed that we should also adopt Hazrat Ayesha (raziAllah ta’aala anha), he showed that we should also do that. Each of his word and action were for us to follow t become a better, peaceful, compassionate loving human being just as he himself was.
Don’t you think by killing and insulting and threatening and abusing people in his name is also Blasphemy. Don’t you think we, the Muslims, are the biggest blasphemers because we do things against the teachings of our beloved Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (sallalh-o-aleh wa’aalih-e-wasaalum)? And that too in his name? Just imgine how miserable we make our beloved Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (sallalh-o-aleh wa’aalih-e-wasaalum)?
Please recite druood sharif and listen to our beloved Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (sallalh-o-aleh wa’aalih-e-wasaalum) and not hate-mongering mullahs and extremists who just want power. These people bring a bad name to our religion which means peace.
I request you to study our beloved Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (sallalh-o-aleh wa’aalih-e-wasaalum) life and actions and words. He was love, mercy, compassion and peace personnafied. He was called Rehmat-ul-LilAaameen (sallalh-o-aleh wa’aalih-e-wasaalum) by Allah Ta’aala. And we are spreading hatred and terror in his name. Who is a bigger blasphemer? Aasia Bibi, Salman Taseer or you people?
The voices of hatred and extremism are dominant and gloating over this murder, but these are not the real voices of Pakistan. Pakistanis need to speak up before these voices of hatred totally drowns them out. Please speak up people, otherwise there will be nothing else left to say.