Indians condemn killing of Pakistan governor

(January 07, 2011) Church organizations in India have joined global condemnation of the assassination of liberal governor of Pakistan’s Punjab province, Salman Taseer. “We condemn the killing of a sane political leader, who rightly opposed the unjust blasphemy laws,” Father Babu Joseph, spokesperson of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), told Ucanews on Thursday. Salman Taseer, who was governor of Punjab province, was shot dead by one of his bodyguards on Jan. 4 at an Islamabad market. The assassin, Malik Mumtaz Hussein Qadri told police he killed Taseer for criticizing the country’s blasphemy laws. The assassination has silenced “an eminent political leader” who worked for an inclusive Pakistani society that respected a secular ethos, the Divine Word priest said. Certain sections in Pakistan are “greatly misusing” the blasphemy law to target religious minorities, especially Christians, Fr. Babu Joseph lamented. The ecumenical All India Christian Council (AICC) said it is mourning with “all human rights defenders in Pakistan” the death of “one of the sane voices” in that country. “Taseer’s lifelong opposition to the black laws of blasphemy” stood out “in the midst of the fundamentalist cacophony that has smitten human rights” in Pakistan, said AICC secretary-general John Dayal. The council has urged the United States and “other international friends of Pakistan” to join human rights defenders in Pakistan to press for the repeal of the blasphemy laws. The blasphemy laws make an insult to the Qur’an an offense punishable by up to life imprisonment, while giving the death penalty to anyone convicted of insulting Prophet Muhammad. Church leaders have long charged that the blasphemy laws are being abused for personal gain and to harass non-Muslims.