Daughter takes mantle from slain Pakistan governor

The daughter of the slain governor of Punjab refuses to be cowed by Islamic extremism and is taking up the cause that killed her father: opposing Pakistan’s ultra-strict blasphemy law.

“I think I have an important story to tell: my father was assassinated in Pakistan six months ago because of his opposition to the misuse of Pakistan’s blasphemy law,” 22-year-old Shehrbano Taseer said in New York.

Her father was one of the most moderate voices in the main ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and personified the progressive elite, free from the emotive tug of conservative Islam but often criticised as detached from the masses.

Salman Taseer was killed on January 4 outside an Islamabad coffee shop by a bodyguard, who opposed his criticism of a blasphemy law that provides for the death penalty and has spawned numerous vigilante killings and assassinations.

His was the most high-profile political killing in Pakistan since former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007.

It was followed two months later by the assassination of another vocal opponent of the law, Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, the only Christian in Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s cabinet.

“I’m here to tell my story, to tell what happens and why it happens, to inform the public and maybe prevent new cases in the future,” Taseer said in an interview at a Manhattan hotel.

Like her father, Taseer uses the social networking site Twitter and public appearances to speak out boldly against the law, and she vows not to back down despite threats to her life from fanatics.

Taseer, who graduated from Smith College in Massachusetts and is now a journalist based in Lahore, said that Pakistan had reached a critical juncture and must choose between extremism or moderation.

“We are at a difficult point in our history,” she said, condemning “religious extremism” and the “cancer of terrorism.” “Right now it’s difficult because as Pakistanis we are very much watching what is happening to our country and we feel very helpless about how to be a part of the solution.”

Taseer said some progressive-minded politicians like her father were attempting to drive the moderate cause forward but admitted there was a long way to go.

“I don’t think there is any solution possible in Pakistan in the short-term,” she said. “We don’t need any more blame.”

Gilani’s government backtracked on amending the blasphemy law on December 30 after a number of popular protests despite criticism from rights groups who say it is often abused to settle personal scores.

The international community stepped up pressure on Islamabad for reform after a Christian mother-of-five Aasia Bibi was sentenced to death in November for allegedly insulting the Prophet Mohammed.

But Islamabad, weakened by rampant corruption, an economic crisis and a wave of suicide bombings, allowed imams and fundamentalist leaders to court public opinion with calls for the slaying of supporters of amending the law.

Taseer’s father’s killer is said to be feted by his jailers and celebrated by some as a hero on the streets of Islamabad. But the governor’s daughter is not out for revenge, nor does she believe conspiracy theories that seek to link the killing to Islamic terror groups.

“We have a confession, we have videos, we have photographs, we have forensic support, autopsy, we have the murder, we have the weapon, witnesses. I mean it should be finished.”

Taseer’s trip to spread awareness about Pakistan’s blasphemy law takes her also to London and Washington. Looking ahead, she expressed reluctance to follow her father into politics.

“There is a lot of red tape, and it’s inefficient and slow to bring change,” she said.

Source: AFP