Salmaan Taseer was a
Pakistani businessman and politician who served as the
governor of the province of
Punjab from 2008 until his
assassination in early 2011, he was , 66.
A member of the
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), he had served also as a minister in the caretaker cabinet of
Prime Minister Muhammad Mian Soomro under
Pervez Musharraf. Taseer was also the chairman and CEO of the First Capital and
Worldcall Group.
He was appointed to the post of governor on May 15, 2008, in place of outgoing governor Lt Gen (R)
Khalid Maqbool,
[6] by then-President Musharraf at the request of the PPP establishment.
On January 4, 2011, Taseer was assassinated in
Islamabad by his own security guard who disagreed with Taseer's opposition to
Pakistan's blasphemy law.
[7]
( May 31, 1944 – January 4, 2011) Early life |
Salmaan Taseer was born into an affluent family of intellectuals
[8] on May 31, 1944, in
Simla,
[8] which at that time was in
British India. His father, Dr. Muhammad Din Taseer, popularly known as "M.D. Taseer", was a close friend of
Allama Iqbal.
[8] His mother Bilqis Taseer (Christobel) was an
Englishwoman[9] who was the sister of writer
Alys Faiz, the widow of
Urdu poet
Faiz Ahmad Faiz.
[8]
Personal life
Salmaan Taseer married Aamna Taseer; the couple resided in Lahore. They have three children: Shahbaz, Shehryar and Shehrbano. Salmaan Taseer also has 3 children from a previous marriage: Sara, Shaan and Sanam.
[citation needed]
Taseer also had a son,
Aatish, in 1980 with Indian journalist
Tavleen Singh. Though married at the time, Taseer met Singh during a book promotion trip to
India in March 1980. According to Aatish, their "affair lasted little more than a week."
[10] Aatish is a freelance journalist in the UK and has recently written a book –
Stranger to History: A Son’s Journey through Islamic Lands – about his estranged relationship with his father.
[11][12]
Taseer was known to be one of the trusted aides of
Benazir Bhutto.
[4] He was a classmate of
Nawaz Sharif at
St. Anthony's School in Lahore,
[4] and had obtained a degree in Chartered Accountancy from
London.
[4]
Political career
Taseer started his political career in his student era, as a member of
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the late 1960s.
[13] He was a part of the movement for Mr. Bhutto's freedom and opposed his arrest and death sentence.
[13] He also wrote a political biography on Bhutto titled
Bhutto: A political biography (1980).
[13]
In the
1988 general elections, Taseer became a member of the Punjab Assembly from
Lahore.
[13] In the 1990, 1993 and 1997 general elections, he stood for election to be an MNA but lost.
[13]
In 2007, he was appointed the interim Federal Minister for Industries, Production and Special Initiatives.
[13]
On May 15, 2008, Taseer was designated for the office of
Governor of Punjab by the PPP-led coalition government.
Business career
Taseer set up several chartered accountancy and management consultancy firms early in his career.
[14] In 1995, he established the First Capital Securities Corporation (FCSC), a full service brokerage house with equity participation by
Smith Barney, Inc., USA, and HG Asia Hong Kong.
[14]
Taseer founded the
Worldcall group with a payphone network in 1996. The group has grown over the years to become a major private-sector telecom operator with a national and regional footprint.
[14] A majority stake in Worldcall was acquired in 2008 by
Omantel, the
Sultanate of Oman's incumbent operator.
[15]
Taseer also owned an English news channel in Pakistan,
Business Plus; and the first children's channel, Wikkid Plus;
[14] and was the publisher of the English language
Daily Times.
[14]
Incarceration
Taseer was kept in solitary confinement for six months and three weeks at the
Lahore Fort, where he was shackled to the ground. He did not meet a single person, or read a book or newspaper during his incarceration and emerged 40 pounds lighter than when he had gone in.
[clarification needed]
Taseer was arrested 16 times and placed under house arrest several times in jails around
Faisalabad,
Jhang and Lahore.
[16]
Controversy
Taseer advocated that the clause in the Constitution declaring the
Ahmadi community to be non-Muslims should be revoked.
[citation needed]
In an interview with Meher Bukhair on
Samaa TV, Taseer commented on his view about the country's
blasphemy law and on filing a mercy petition for
Asia Bibi who has been sentenced to death by a court under the Blasphemy Law.
[17]
In December 2010 Taseer was alleged to have left the country for several days without handing over charge to the Punjab Assembly Speaker. This meant that the province was without a constitutional head, and it also rendered the assembly speaker ineligible to preside over sessions. Leaving the province without informing his successor was in violation of the constitution and this led to Punjab Assembly Speaker
Rana Muhammad Iqbal sending a letter to Prime Minister Gilani calling for the removal of Salmaan Taseer by the President.
[18] Evidence provided by ICAO on the governor's travel abroad, led to a case being filed in court for breach of the constitution.
[19]
Death
On January 4, 2011, one of Taseer's bodyguards, Malik Mumtaz Qadri, shot him 26 times with a
submachine gun at Kohsar Market,
[20] near his home
[21] in Sector F6,
Islamabad, as he was returning to his car after meeting a friend for lunch. Kohsar Market is a popular shopping and cafe spot for the city's elite and
expatriates.
[7][22] Eight hours before his assassination, he tweeted an Urdu couplet by
Shakeel Badayuni: "My resolve is so strong that I do not fear the flames from without, I fear only the radiance of the flowers, that it might burn my garden down."
[23][clarification needed]
After his assassination, protests erupted in different parts of Punjab. Protesters also burned tyres and blocked traffic in Lahore.
[24]
The next day, thousands turned up for governor Salman Taseer's funeral in Lahore in spite of denunciations by some clerics and religious scholars from mourning Taseer,
[25][26] Prime Minister
Yousuf Raza Gilani and many supporters of the ruling PPP were seen attending the
funeral prayer). The funeral prayers were finally led by Allama Afzal Chisti of the
Ulema wing of the PPP after the chief cleric of the
Badshahi Mosque, who had initially agreed to offer prayers, backed off at the last moment, saying he was going out of town.
[27] Taseer was buried at a military cantonment in Lahore.
[28]
Assassin
The assassin Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri is from Punjab, and was part of the security detail provided to Taseer by the
Elite Police. After the shooting, Qadri threw his weapon down and put his hands up when one of his colleagues aimed at him. He reportedly pleaded to be arrested.
[29] Qadri reportedly said he killed Taseer due to the latter's vocal opposition to the blasphemy law in Pakistan..
[30][31] Taseer was against the blasphemy law and termed it a black law. Notably, Taseer made headlines when he favored the Christian Pakistani woman, Asia Bibi,
[17] who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy.
[32] It was proved in the session court of Pakistan that Asia Bibi was involved in blasphemy, but rather accepting the ruling of judiciary, Taseer wanted pardon for Asia Bibi beyond the judiciary. It was suspected that this was the main reason for his assassination.
[33][34] According to a report in
Dawn, the assailant was associated with
Dawat-e-Islami, a religious organisation associated with the
Barelvi movement.
[35] Supporters of Mumtaz Qadri blocked police attempting to bring him to the Anti-Terrorism Court in
Rawalpindi, and some supporters even showered him with rose petals.
[36]
Reactions
- Domestic
Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf expressed grief over the assassination, adding that Taseer was a seasoned politician and his death was a loss for not only the PPP but also the entire country.[37] Many members of the country's business community also conveyed their shock after the killing.[38]- The Chief Minister of Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif condemned the killing, saying, "This is really a big loss for the PPP and as we believe friendly politics deeply condemn this murder, praying for Mr. Taseer."
- The Government of Punjab ordered all public institutions and schools to shut on January 5 in honour of Taseer.[39]
- The Punjab National Assembly unanimously passed a resolution condemning the assassination and praising Taseer's political and social services.[40]
- The Jamaat Ahle Sunnat, an Islamic religious organisation representing the Barelvi movement, issued an advisory against mourning his death.[26][28] They also declared Qadri a "hero of the Muslim world."[41]
- A Taliban commander in South Waziristan said that Taseer would have been assassinated anyway "very soon" even if he had not been killed by Qadri.[42]
- Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and current President Zardari, spoke at a memorial service for Taseer in London saying: "To the Christian and other minority communities in Pakistan, we will defend you...those who wish to harm you need to go through me first. Allah has promised them (perpetrators) hell, and we shall send them there." He also said a jihad is needed to combat extremism in Pakistan, while condemning those who praised the assassination.[43]
- International
Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna condemned the killing a letter to Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. The Ministry of External Affairs also said: "On behalf of the people and the Government of India and his own, Mr. Krishna conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and the people of Pakistan."[45]
France condemned the assassination and hailed Taseer as a man known for his "courage in defending democratic institutions." Deputy Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Christine Fages said, "France firmly condemns the assassination on Tuesday of the governor of Punjab Salman Taseer. Governor Taseer was a political personality of the highest order."[46]
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan his Paakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari "[o]ffering his condolences to Zardari and condemning the assassination, the Turkish PM also asked the president to convey his heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved family and the people of the country."[47]
British Foreign Secretary William Hague stated that he was "shocked to hear of the assassination of Salmaan Taseer" and that "his death will be a loss to the leadership of Pakistan. On behalf of the British government I send my condolences to Mr Taseer’s family, friends and colleagues."[48]
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton strongly condemned the assassination of Taseer saying she "admired his work to promote tolerance and the education of Pakistan’s future generations" and that his death "is a great loss."[49] Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry also condemned the assassination: "Governor Taseer was a proud champion of democracy and respect for the rights of women and minorities. He fearlessly stood up to the threats of extremists, and lost his life in defense of moderation and tolerance, values shared by most Pakistani citizens. The best way to honor his legacy is to continue resisting violent extremism and supporting the core principles on which Pakistan was founded." [50]
Pope Benedict XVI called for the repeal of the blasphemy law and also called on governments in Muslim-majority countries to protect Christians from violent attacks. He told the Holy See's diplomats that the law was a pretext for violence against minorities. He also added that "The tragic murder of the governor of Punjab shows the urgent need to make progress in this direction." The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam responded in saying: "The pope has given a statement today that has not only offended the 180 million Muslims in Pakistan, it has also hurt the sentiments of the entire Islamic world. This is an interference in Pakistan's internal matters...we respect the pope, being head of Christians and their religion, but he should also refrain from interfering in Muslims' religious affairs."[51]
- Social-media
A fan page appeared on
Facebook soon after the assassination in support of Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, showing news photos of him smiling. The fan page soon gathered thousands of supporters.
[52] Many prominent Pakistani bloggers started a campaign to have these fan pages blocked on Facebook as soon as the pages appeared on the social networking website.
[53] Several people also denounced the perpetrator creating a page named "I Hate Malik Mumtaz Qadri," but in contrast the page only managed to get a few fans with no comments or discussions.
[54] Outrage against the gunman was prevalent on
Twitter, with numerous journalists and media personalities expressing their sadness over the passing of Taseer and the growing Islamisation and moral collapse of the country.
[54]
Possible repercussions
In the international media, his death was seen as more destabilising for the tenuous situation in the country, particularly in the light of resignation of members of the ruling coalition. One local analyst said the death was a "major setback for Pakistan, which is trying to get out of this vicious cycle of violence and worsening economy. [The killing] will certainly weaken the party position in Punjab."
[55] It was suggested that the killing was indicative of a "deeper trend" of "religious intolerance" afflicting Pakistan.
[56]
Taseer's assassination may dissuade other Pakistani politicians from speaking out against the blasphemy law, according to a former
U.S. State Department intelligence analyst with the
Middle East Institute in
Washington, DC.
[57]
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Julia "Judy" Bonds, was an organizer and activist from the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, United States. Raised in a family of coalminers, she worked from an early age at minimum wage jobs. Bonds was the director of Coal River Mountain Watch (CRMW). She has been called "the godmother of the anti-mountaintop removal movement."[1]
Much of her organizing activity focused on the role of the mine operator Massey Energy Company of Richmond, Virginia and the devastation in Coal River Valley's Marfork Hollow as well as other communities in Appalachia.[2] Bonds testified against the company at regulatory hearings, filed lawsuits against surface mining and led protests against Massey. By 2003, she had led the CRMW into a partnership with the United Mine Workers Union to halt mining companies' dangerous use of overweight coal trucks and to convince the state's mining oversight agency to better protect valley communities from mine blasting.[3] In 2009, she brought in actress Daryl Hannah and NASA scientist James Hansen to protest the proximity of a Massey coal slurry dam and storage silo in the vicinity of a West Virginia elementary school. Coal River Mountain Watch, the Sierra Club and other groups filed a lawsuit in April 2010 accusing the company of violating the U.S. Clean Water Act.
