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.
Powerful and honest post.
I never liked Salman taseer much, but I must say that he has now become a symbol and I am also very very scared today. Even more when i read the comments. People are even giving life threats to Adil Najam for this post. What is wrong with this? What is wrong with us? Have we all gone mad??????????
Naturally, the sympathies are always with the one who is killed, but we should think rationally before praising too much just because one is dead.
Few weeks back, when the talks were in the air about blasphemy and the related law, it was already declared a very sensitive issue, but the late governor, maybe with the powerful position in his mind or just in opposition of religious bodies, he just talked and talked and talked.
Not only on the issue of blasphemy, Mr. Taseer always spoke against cultural / religious issues which were supported and endorsed by his “whole hated” provincial government; take, for example issue of Basant, and …… drinking……etc.,..I will not go into details….
We all know, why he was placed as a Governor of Punjab by a dictator, who himself is the most controversial personality in recent history, u know why!!!!
His “positive” attitude throughout his role as a governor is not hidden, we have been watching and hearing the drama, the issue of blockade of news channels during lawyer’s movement, etc.
Also, Mr. Taseer was not in the good books of BB, all senior PPP leaders (genuine ones) know this, but now he is being shown as the main pillar of PPP??? !!!
Sameer’s comment, which is an adaptation of Martin Niemöller’s prescient poem describing the passivity in Nazi Germany is absolutely spot on. Salman Taseer’s murder has brought out the best the worst among us. The bigots are out in the open preaching their narrow-minded hatred. It is time for the rest to stand up and be counted, or they will be left standing alone when they are in need.
isn’t it ironic that were india really trying to destroy pakistan, her agents would try getting something exactly like the blasphemy law implemented in pakistan. because, once implemented, such laws spread like cancer in society , a cancer which is hard to detect until it’s too late.
and these agents would behave exactly like those who support this reprehensible law.
hey, maybe it’s all a hindu plan, oh these dastardly hindus, they are way too clever for us simple folk. it’s not a coincidence that asia bibi sounds like asha devi, is it? hmmm??
It is a sad incident but not out of context. Extremism and Liberalism are two ends on a scale, both are unacceptable. There is not and should not be “freedom of expression” free from everything. We routinely label someone ‘Extremist” or “Liberal” and the very labels are for political reason and at best paint a false picture. One must not be carried away by the unfettered thoughts so as to cross the limits ordained by Allah (SWT). One should also be conscious of the sensitivity of the issues as the saying goes “think before you speak”. We should refrain from labelling people for the sake of our own agenda. The real question that needs to be discussed and looked for answer is Why people take law in their own hands. In literature this attitude is called “self-help” and this happens when state is not performing its functions or when there is mis-trust on the law enforcing agencies and whole legal remedial system. When there was so much hue and cry about the recent blasphemy act why did not the state acted up on it in a way so as to calm the situation rather than inflaming the public.