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.
As an Indian, I don’t want to question the blasphemy laws, because I don’t know enough about it, but I do want to ask those who support it. How do you prove if indeed someone said something blasphemous ?
Doesn’t it just become a cases of he says verses she says ? Which is really subjective.
In that case can’t some malicious people collude to purposely trap an innocent person and frame them – for some personal agenda?.
Are there any safety nets in place to prevent that ?
Or is the word of the Muslim count for more than a non-muslim automatically ?
Any law’s misuse should be investigated and I don’t understand why anyone (even those who support it ) should have a problem with reassessing the law to prevent such occurrences.
Time for Pakistani’s youth to wake up and round up the Mullahs and hand them all!!!!!
Anyone preaching intolerance and issuing FATWA should be Jailed. Enough is Enough when are we going to wake up and get rid of these Mullahs wgo have taken advantage of our Political Vacumm.
What is the difference between Shiv Sena and Mullah’s ???
Indeed, @Majid is correct about freedom of expression. All societies impose some kind of limits. You choose to live in a society you follow the rule. Otherwise there is the wilderness where you can be free to do all kinds of expressions of your thoughts.
If there is unadulterated freedom then someone can shout ‘Fire!, Fire!’ in a theater packed with people, with potentially horrible consequences. Get my point Mr. Jibran?
The mullah fundos are trying to hide behind freedom of expression to incite more violence: Look at this very topic here. At least one person has not-so-vaguely threatened Professor Najam for this blog about Taseer.
No, sir, we can’t be fooled by your play on words. We KNOW how much freedom your ideological kins gave to the Afghans between 1996 and 2001. And we know the kind of muzzling of thought you are capable of in Pakistan.
@Jibran:
“Freedom of Expression” does not include supporting your terror1st ideology.
Can we get the British back? I mean if my option is to live in a society cowed by these crazy, fascist, murdering thugs or being governed by a foreign culture that at least allows the rule of law then I, for one, choose the British.
Long Live the Queen!!!