For the last three years, the Governor’s House in Lahore has been the hub of Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP’s) activities in Punjab. Its grounds were frequently flooded by PPP’s workers, equipped with the party flags, in order to attend political gatherings. However, this time the workers and dignitaries from all around the country had gathered here for a very different purpose. The law enforcement agencies engulfed the Governor’s House to cope with security threats. The extreme security arrangements made access to the grounds extremely difficult and tiresome, but not for the thousands of PPP workers who made it to bid farewell to their late leader. People from all walks of life were seen mourning, as for the first time in the country’s history, the Governor’s House hosted a governor’s funeral. PPP workers carrying party flags with grim faces could be seen all around the grounds. The fact that such a huge number of political workers made it to the prayers highlights the late governor’s closeness with them. He was not only a constitutional governor but politically a very active one. During his three years in office, he provided the bulk of opposition to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in Punjab and earned applause from the rank and file of his besieged party. An enraged group of PPP supporters chanted emotional slogans, accusing the Punjab government of negligence. Later, the PPP’s mainstream leaders termed the incident a political murder, expressing emotions mostly born out of traditional rivalry between the two parties. One can hope that these statements and slogans were a flash in the pan and manifested a temporary burst of emotions. Any effort at fuelling the already heightened political temperature will only derail fair investigations into the reasons that led to this tragedy. Raja Riaz advised the chief minister and ministers of the Punjab government against attending the funeral of Mr Taseer, fearing a reaction from the PPP supporters. The Punjab government accepted the advice and refrained from attending the ceremony. But most people believe that the participation of the PML-N officials could have significantly eased the tension between the two major political forces. Salmaan Taseer did not emerge on the political landscape of the country recently. He joined the PPP in his youth and was elected to the provincial assembly in 1988. His father M D Taseer was a well-known educationist and poet. Salmaan Taseer belonged to Lahore and was no stranger to the people of the city. He was an emblem of the social and cultural heritage of the region. Considered outspoken, he was never afraid to express his views on an array of topics, irrespective of the consequences. He stood firm in his stance against the blasphemy laws, which attracted severe criticism from religious quarters of the country. The extreme reaction from the religious leaders fuelled the emotions of the zealots and eventually one of them went so far as to take the life of the governor. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to meet Mr Taseer during his lifetime, as I spent the last four years in Karachi pursuing my bachelor’s degree. However, his unique bluntness has always been a topic of interest. My father, Mujibur Rahman Shami, frequently lauded his unique satirical ability and wit. Despite the ideological differences between the two, I have witnessed the latter acknowledge Salmaan Taseer’s openness and honesty in expressing his views. It certainly takes some character and utmost sincerity to your ideology to be applauded by people from other schools of thought. The governor’s murder is not only a sign of social decay; it will also haunt our economy for the times to come. At the funeral, Mr Turgut Puyan, regional director Pak-Turk schools, drew attention to the economic outfall of the event. According to him, a group of Turkish businessmen was scheduled to visit Pakistan on Thursday but the murder left them in two minds and the trip would most probably be cancelled. He termed the murder of Mr Taseer an attempt to tarnish the country’s image in the global community. The murder of Salmaan Taseer has some important implications for our society. Our political and religious leaders should realise that society comprises people with different mental capacities and ways of thinking. Political leaders need to be modest in their speech and should be considerate of others’ feelings. At the same time, religious leaders need to inculcate a greater degree of tolerance amongst their followers and in society as a whole. The only way to solve our problems and ideological differences is by debate. The suppression of the right to debate and expression of views would lead to the stagnation of society. It should be stressed that individuals in society do not have the right to assume the role of a judge and decide the fate of others. Encouragement of such acts of violence would push the country towards anarchy. Those celebrating the death of the governor should realise that they are in fact undermining the rule of law. Disputes should be settled by dialogue or in the courts; any other path can only lead to destruction. The writer is a graduate of Institute of Business Administration, Karachi. He can be reached at usmanshami@yahoo.com