Killing of Pak Punjab Governor deepens political crisis in Pakistan

Islamabad, Jan 5(ANI): The assassination of Pakistan Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, an outspoken secular politician, by one of his elite police guards on Tuesday has plunged the government deeper into political crisis.

According to the New York Times, Taseer's death will serve as a chilling warning to any politician who speaks out against the religious parties and their agenda, and will certainly end immediate attempts to amend the blasphemy laws.

"It is a loss to progressive forces; he stood up for what he believed in," said one of his party colleagues, Sherry Rehman.

Rehman, who has long worked to amend the blasphemy laws, said the party should regroup and continue to pursue the issue because it is central to the liberal politics that the Pakistan Peoples Party and Taseer have stood for.

"You can recoil in fear, or you can have a considered action and regroup sensibly at a time when it is approachable and applicable," she said.

Like Taseer, Rehman has frequently received threats, but she said that the future of the country was at stake.

"You have to understand the gravity of the challenge. Personal safety is at risk, but there is also an existential threat to Pakistan," Rehman said. (ANI)