Pakistani Governor Assassinated
Last week’s assassination of Salman Taseer, the governor of Pakistan’s Punjab Province, serves as yet another unfortunate example of the state’s broader yet intertwined security concerns. Taseer’s killer, Malik Mumtaz Hussein Qadri, worked as a member of the governor’s security detail and protected Taseer on multiple occasions, reports BBC News.
Politicians in Pakistan and South Asia in general, frequently find themselves targeted by radical elements, but know these threats are standard for a political career. Since Benazir Bhutto’s assassination in 2007, several high-ranking Pakistani officials encountered similar attacks but survived. Regionally, Taseer’s death perhaps most closely mirrors that of Indira Ghandi’s, India’s former Prime Minister. Ghandi, like Taseer, met her end at the hands of her own guards, two Sikhs seeking revenge for the Indian troop raid (known as Operation Bluestar) on the Golden Temple, a sacred Sikh holy site.
Like Gandhi, Taseer was killed by a religious extremist. According to the Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, Qadri acted in response to Taseer’s support for proposed amendments to Pakistan’s blasphemy law, which condemns insults to Islam and is punishable by death. Last month, the New York Times reported that debate surrounding the law culminated into country-wide demonstrations and strikes, as religious leaders and Islamist politicians encouraged protest against talk of revising the law.
Taseer’s murder and his assassin’s motive stress the importance of vetting personnel, especially those tasked with guarding government officials. More broadly, this case should serve as a reminder that Pakistan is plagued by threats from within; that is, sympathizers tied more to an Islamist agenda than advancing democracy. Given the fragile nature of the state, coupled with an apparent rise in religious fanaticism, officials must diligently assess threats to all sectors of its national security program, operating from within the military, ISI, or law enforcement. Heightened, sustained monitoring is especially necessary in protecting the state’s nuclear arsenal – an area where insider sabotage will most certainly yield unfavorable results. Politically, progressive officials must maintain their commitment to the democratic process, remain visible, and demonstrate that violent acts will not discourage their agendas, nor silence the masses.
