Daily Times

LAHORE: The seventh death anniversary of former Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer will be observed on Thursday (today).

People from all walks of life will pay homage to the Shaheed-i-Insanyat at multiple ceremonies to be organised in major cities for sacrificing his life for the cause of humanity and provision of rights to the marginalised sections of the society.

The former governor was assassinated by his own bodyguard, Mumtaz Qadri, on January 4, 2011, because he had defended a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, who was accused of blasphemy. The Guardian had described Taseer’s assassination as ‘one of the most traumatic events in recent Pakistani history’.

During several media statements, interviews and press conferences, late Taseer had maintained that Asia Bibi was innocent and had been falsely implicated by her rivals in the blasphemy case. He had also called for amendments to the blasphemy laws to prevent their misuse by certain elements for settling personal scores.

Besides his role as a human rights activist, Salmaan Taseer was also a seasoned politician who had been associated with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). He became a member of Punjab Assembly in 1988. He served as a minister in the caretaker cabinet of prime minister Muhammad Mian Soomro under Pervez Musharraf during the 2008 elections. He was appointed Punjab governor in 2008 and served for three years.

It is pertinent to mention here that on the fourth death anniversary in 2015, a group of extremists had attacked a candle-lit vigil organised at the Liberty Roundabout in Lahore to pay tribute to late Salmaan Taseer.

Published in Daily Times, January 4^th 2018.