Pakistan

Salmaan Taseer's assassination: Security lapse or conspiracy?

President Zardari terms Punjab Governor's murder a "conspiracy" against the system and the country.

Express January 05, 2011

LAHORE: President Asif Ali Zardari has said that the murder of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer is a conspiracy against the system and the country.

He was addressing the ministers and parliamentarians of the Pakistan People's party (PPP) at Bilawal House in Karachi. President Zardari hoped that the motives and conspiracy behind Taseer's murder would be uncovered soon and the murderer brought to justice.

The President termed Taseer's murder a colossal loss to the PPP.

In a similar vein, Federal Law Minister Babar Awan said that it was important to find out whether Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer’s assassination was a security lapse or a conspiracy to destabilise Pakistan.

Speaking to the media in Lahore, the law minister lamented that the authorities had failed to provide adequate security to Taseer. He said that the assassination had left many questions unanswered.

Earlier, Information Secretary Fauzia Wahab said that the Punjab Governor was killed due to political reasons.

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.

COMMENTS (27)

mukhtar | 13 years ago | Reply plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz open the basant open the basan

ehsan | 13 years ago | Reply this is fact

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ehsan | 13 years ago | Reply the murder is truely religious base as the murderer himself has accepted this than why PPP leadership is trying to prove it as a political.they are just trying to get the favour of people and to get the political benefits & just for point scoring.

Bilal Ashraf | 13 years ago | Reply According to me it's not a political murder because the reaction of the killer was entirely different. And the only reason behind it was blasphemy of our Prophet PBUH. Even Molanas are saying this...

Tahir Khan | 13 years ago | Reply we pakistani are happy on mirder of Taseer, pakistan is a relligious country not a liberal one, only 2% librral person should not hijack the pak,nor play with the emotions of 98% Muslims.

Junaid Ali Khan | 13 years ago | Reply Well said Khalid Aziz. I support and join u. We liberal minded people have to be united against such mullah devils. We need Kamal Atta Turk.

syed hasan | 13 years ago | Reply its nothing but hatred because what you beleive . try to learn something from whatever you beleivein

Khalid Aziz | 13 years ago | Reply I simply wonder, why its always the liberals at the receiving end? Why only secular and forward looking polticians? Why Bhuttos and their comrades- everytime? How long PPP will continue with the same compromised stance? Well, what is PPP thinking, how many further losses they wana bear, when will they confront the menace? If not now then when? I am really feeling bad, depressed, helpless like millions of other peace loving Pakistanis. Who will put on halt the flooding extremism? Who will arrest the ones who openly give hate sermons, fatwas and announce head money. They say "nip the evil in the bud" but we have already waited too long to let the bud become a strong tree. Have we become a shameless, ruthless society? Well, I dont think so even now but PPP and ANP please take a honorable and justified stance and lets start our struggle against the extremists without any further delay. Don't simply focus on FATA- they are everywhere now. Change the syllabus, start special programs on TV and radio- let people know of the real Islam- its a long war. It took them 60 years to get this strong, we'll also need time- Please start this struggle now before its too late. Any Mullah delivering a hate sermon should be put behind the bars immediately. If new legislation is needed please do it now without fail.

Anoop | 13 years ago | Reply If I were Zardari or Sherry Rehman and the likes I'd be pretty scared for my life.

Imran Mohammad | 13 years ago | Reply PPP is trying to gain political mileage out of this senseless act of a fanatic. They should investigate and prosecute those responsible and move on. We have other problems in the country and we should be more worried about those.

aq | 13 years ago | Reply Blame of Taseers murder goesto Khatme nubuat and all religious and political parties who supported srike of mullahs for blasphemy law. This is high time for liberals to join hands and beat these wild and unjust mullahs. Army should come forward to finish these forces of bigotry. Ban these organisations and control mosques. Get rid of this black law of blasphemy and other laws which encourage murders and injustice. Lastly seperate religion from politics.

Shams Ajani | 13 years ago | Reply Stop this drama and get serious. We are now tired of dumb conspiracy theories: so who killed Benazir Bhutto.... and what happened to the UN report?. Honest one looses faith looking and hearing these jokers pussy foot around the real issues. For God's sake ,someone should seriously start looking at real problems facing the people .Someone should get serious about looking at law and order problems. Oh! what happened to RGST? and when will petrol problems be reduced ( I bet in next 7 days)

NO NAME | 13 years ago | Reply Members of PPP seems to suggest that the murder was either politically motivated or a conspiracy to have him ( S.T. ) assassinated for his stand on blasphamy Law. Mr President you are in Power and you have all the state resources under you to get not only the murderer but also all involved. Before you guys. start pointing fingers at some imaginary RAW, Mossad, CIA or ???? Please make sure you have solid evidence or And if you find that some one from the. Strategic Asset buddies were behind the Murder then Hang them in open public, this is the least you can do for a man who gave his life for you guys to look creditable.

Sqn Ldr S.Ausaf Husain ( Retd) | 13 years ago | Reply According to a report in a section of the press the assassin police guard Mumtaz Qadri had informed his fellow security guards about the plot to kill Salman Taseer and had also requested them not to open fire at him after killing of Salman Taseer as he would lay down arms after assassination. If this is true then it shows most poor state of security vetting of police guards selected and detailed for the protection of VIPs. However, the senior officer incharge of the police guards detailed to protect Salman Taseer should also be made accountable for being careless in failing to ensuring that guards detailed by him are trustworthy. According to an investigator the policeman Mumtaz Qadri is extremely religious person and during the investigation he said that the thought of killing Taseer, for committing blasphemy of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), struck his mind only a few days ago. Rules and procedures regarding protection of VIPs and VVIPs are clearly laid down in ‘Blue Book’ issued by the Interior Ministry but it seems that the concerned police authorities have not followed it in letter and spirit which resulted in the assassination of Salman Taseer. It is suggested that security personnel selected for protection of VIPs should be thoroughly vetted to ascertain their background, religious and political thinking and nature before they are finally selected for security duties with VIPs. They should also be examined by the Psychiatrist and Psychologist from time to time to read their state of mind. In addition there should also be an internal intelligence network to observe security personnel’s suspicious behaviour/habits and affiliation if any with some religious/political group. Karachi

The Only Normal Person Here. | 13 years ago | Reply Everything is a conspiracy in the land of pure. Therefore, we can never brush off our own mess.

moise | 13 years ago | Reply PPP you are in government, bring justice to people.

DRBS | 13 years ago | Reply We need a leader to tell us: Who, precisely, do we serve? What is our core strength? Of the many things we can measure in our business, which one measure of success should we focus on? And, what specific actions can we take right now to improve our business?

Usama Zafar | 13 years ago | Reply Adequate security?? Seriously?? I have a friend who lives next door to Salman Taseer's house in Islamabad and believe me it used to be impossible to go to his place when the governor used to be there. No matter how much security you have if your own guard turns against you its all useless.

nasir | 13 years ago | Reply there was a conspiracy to involve salman taseer in fake murder plan of khawaja sharif wich badly failed. this could be plan b of geting rid of salman taseer.why and who included mumtaz qadri in security team of salman taseer.why he was killed in islamabad and not in punjab.why no one from his security team fired at qadri while he was firing 26 shots at salman taseer.he might have been killed in islamabd because killing him in punab would have put punjab govt in trouble.i think punjab govt is involved.

Sarfraz | 13 years ago | Reply Petty politics. If this is indeed a political murder, PPP stands to gain more than anyone else as this incident provides some breathing space to the faltering government, and hence should be investigated first.

Shahzaib Khan | 13 years ago | Reply PPP leaders deserve shahdat so Taseer.

Ali | 13 years ago | Reply Neither. Simply an unjustifiable response of a member of a very irked people.

Gopal | 13 years ago | Reply this is a worry.. following a religion is one thing but to be killed for not being fanatic enough will stunt freedoms and growth in a society.. as the guardian paper puts it "pakistan is a society where muslims are killed for not being muslim enough!" there is no substitute but to start a move towards secularisation (Jinnah's original concept of pakistan) and separate religion from state and legal system, if pakistan is to evolve..

vasan | 13 years ago | Reply OK here is the fodder to the conspiracy theorists who will start screaming "Taseer's killing was hatched by CIA/MOSSAD/RAW"; I am sick and tired of this volleying by the Pakistani politicians

Maniza | 13 years ago | Reply Isn't Babar Awan the man who defends the Blasphemy law and the Shariah laws--? Isn't he the one that says that these laws will be overturned only over his dead body?

Majid Maqsood | 13 years ago | Reply This assassination is indeed a political murder and Punjab Government is responsible to probe and find the conspiracy !

Abdul Rauf khan | 13 years ago | Reply PPP government when come in to power they put these issue death of Taseer or someone else to political reason not openly accept there own fail to security provided to the high profile peoples even in capital city Islamabad.How we can expect in other area? what happened during the Benazir Bhutto government his brother killed even in province of Sind and we still does not know who did and how did it?This is all tit for tat game and no one working or thinking about the peoples of Pakistan and we can imagine how a person of Pakistani getting security and Allah is only taking care not these political leaders.

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