The assassination of Salman Taseer on January 4, 2011 reiterated the fact that the ideals of democracy are dead in Pakistan with potentially disastrous consequences. Salman Taseer is a name that will always be remembered for upholding the truth, promoting liberal ideals, and encouraging religious tolerance. He was a true epitome of bravery who had a mission to promote peaceful and progressive ideals in Pakistan.
Pakistani business tycoon and a politician, Salman Taseer served as the 26th Governor of Punjab from 2008 until his assassination in 2011. Taseer served as a minister in the caretaker cabinet of Prime Minister Mian Soomro under Pervez Musharraf during the 2008 elections. He was appointed as the governor of Punjab on 15 May 2008, by then-President Musharraf. During his governorship, he called for the pardon for Asia Bibi. As a result, he was shot down by one of his escort members, Mumtaz Qadri, in Kohsar Market of Islamabad just because Mr. Taseer had defended a Christian woman who was accused of blasphemy. The civil society, the left-wing, and the progressive individuals in Pakistan will never forget the legacy of Mr. Taseer.
Today, we are remembering Shaheed Salman Taseer on his 11th death anniversary. This is a time when the current Prime Minister Imran Khan is repeatedly voicing his protest against Islamophobia in the West, whereas, in his own country, religious extremists have just brutally killed Sri Lankan general manager Priyantha Kumara over allegations of blasphemy and set the body on fire. The vicious lynching drew widespread condemnation from government officials and human rights bodies from all across the world. Is this the Pakistan that Quaid-e-Azam dreamt of? Should we not promote religious tolerance in our own country in the first place which Salman Taseer was a flag-bearer of?
Pakistan continues to be in a profound identity crisis as a country. The not-so-clear statements by its founding father in favour of a secular or pluralist Pakistan are perceived differently on both sides of the debate on pluralism versus religion. Unlike in many secular countries, any mention of secularism in Pakistan witnesses a sudden outburst by supremacist and extremist religious tendencies among Muslims.
The unfathomable divide within the Pakistani society between the seemingly religious and avowedly secular, between the Westernized liberal elite and middle-class Pakistanis threatens to further weaken Pakistan. Amid the rampant corruption, poverty, natural disasters, political instability, religious extremism, a burgeoning youth population, and a national identity crisis, how will Pakistan become a stable democracy? Qadri’s bullets not only killed a prominent governor of Pakistan’s most powerful region, Punjab, but the hopes of greater pluralism in Pakistani politics.
Taseer was a courageous man who was never reluctant to raise his voice for the ideals of truth, the marginalized, the poor, and for women and minority rights. His assassination came as a shock but his martyrdom also made us realize that truth never dies. We, as a nation, have complete faith that Taseer’s blood will not go to waste. The Pakistani nation will not stop fighting against religious extremism and fundamentalism. Today marks a day for anti-terrorism and anti-extremism in remembrance of Salmaan Taseer who sacrificed his life while trying to build a tolerant society.
Taseer was an ambassador of tolerance and peace. He stood for the rights of minorities like no one else. He even put at stake the lives of his family members. Can somebody do that in the present age? His son Shahbaz Taseer bore the biggest brunt while his family keeps getting threats till date. Only Mr. Taseer had the courage to call out the extremist mindset that has destroyed the milieu of our society. He will never be forgotten.