LAHORE – The sixth death anniversary of former Punjab governor Salman Taseer will be observed today (Wednesday).
The former governor was shot dead by his bodyguard, Mumtaz Qadri, on January 4, 2011, allegedly because Taseer had defended a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, who was accused of blasphemy.
Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari paid rich tribute to former Punjab governor Salman Taseer on his death anniversary.
In a statement issued by the PPP, Bilawal said Salman Taseer proved that Pakistan is for all and protection of weak and vulnerable people, including the minorities is a sacred duty of every nationalist Pakistani who follows the ideology of the country’s founding fathers.
Bilawal pointed out that Taseer stood like the rock against the misuse of laws meant to protect the sanctity of every religion by bigots and hypocrite elements bent upon to settle their personal scores against weaker opponents.
PPP chairman further said bigotry and extremism were breeding terrorism and people of Pakistan should get rid of these maladies and establish a truly egalitarian Muslim majority society standing tall as a model nation in the Islamic as well as the modern world.
He said that certain elements want to hold people hostage at gunpoint by exploiting certain laws but they don’t know that in the presence of PPP and the followers like Salman Taseer and others their nefarious designs won’t succeed in Pakistan.
Political figures and civil society activists will hold programs to mark the day on today’s evening.
On March 1, 2016, Mumtaz Qadri, an Elite Force commando convicted of killing Salman Taseer, was executed at the Adiala Jail.
