A Huge Loss

The death of Salman Taseer is a huge loss & I don’t have words to express my grief. I don’t think Punjab would ever have a Governor like him again. It’s saddening that he has been assassinated by a fanatic who was none other than his own security guard. And the reason for killing him is all the more frustrating. We are indeed a very intolerant society & this has been the height of insanity.

I think Salman Taseer was a brave Pakistani. He was speaking against an inhuman law. Whatever he said was not wrong. How could you hate someone for having such views? But we have people in our country who just hate you for holding these views & they don’t even think while killing you.

Blasphemy law is such a sensitive topic that no one should say anything on it. I do not understand why such a bad law is still on the statute book. This law is open to abuse & there was no such law in the days of Holy Prophet (PBUH). It was created by the British to protect minorities, but when Pakistan came into being, there was just no need to have that law, cause Muslims were not in minority & then Zia-ul-Haq later on exploited it totally & today innocent people are paying the price. And if someone takes up a stand against it that person is killed in broad day light.

On Friday, Sardar Abad made an announcement that anyone who kills Salman Taseer will be awarded 2 crores. Maulanas as usual were passing fatwas against him & they instigated people & see what has happened. I’m sure they are people out there who must be very happy. But it wouldn’t change the fact that Salman Taseer was fighting for justice & the right cause, & in the process, he was murdered.

Clerics have this habit of instigating people & it’s not just illiterate folks who are being provoked…even the educated clan believes in such things. I lost 3 friends, because of my views & I’m not sorry for that. There’s a limit in friendship & they crossed it. All 3 of them were educated women, & yet they were extremely intolerant. They couldn’t stand my views. I can have any kind of opinion. I don’t need to follow the clan. I’m not answerable to my friends for taking side with those who commit suicide or are gays or sluts for whatever reason. Although 2 of them were Jews & 1 Muslim, but I’m sorry to say, they were not any different from this guard. That guard only pulled the trigger. These women go around poisoning ears & somebody else will pull the trigger.

The situation in this country will not change. Those who speak or protest against inhuman laws will always be taken as being influenced by the West & they are the enemies of religion. In the name of religion, people commit hate crimes & this is the biggest sin. No one has given you the right to take someone’s life just because he has a different stand. Baat sun tou lo before passing your judgment. Nearly everyone in our part of the world thinks he has the birthright to judge others & weigh their faith in a balance.

It was just too much for closed minds when Salman Taseer called Blasphemy law Kaala qanoon & so a mad man decided to end his life.

Salman Taseer was really a loyal Pakistani & we’re utterly devastated that such a person had been killed. May his soul rest in peace!