Salmaan Taseer murdered

Just a few days ago I wrote about the tensions building in Pakistan over the proposals to amend the blasphemy laws. I mentioned in passing high profile Punjabi governor Salmaan Taseer who was an outspoken advocate of the reforms. He was the focus of much bile and criticism from the religious right. Today he was murdered. Shot by a member of his own security detail.

Pakistan is in crisis. Caught in a vice like grip between the West and the East, between democratic values of equality and tolerance and murderous religious fundamentalism.

The government is both violent, weak and split. The economy is in a poor state and much of the country is still suffering badly from flooding. These are not happy times.

Although Taseer and Shahrbano Rehman, the outstanding woman moving the amendment, are both members of the ruling party the government has been at pains to distance themselves from the proposals and, it seems, that numerous death threats against themselves and their supporters have been ignored by the authorities - leaving reformers exposed.

But while the government has taken no action against leading religious figures condemning Taseer and Rehman it seems that one man did react. After Taseer's guard shot his charge dead he handed himself in. "The police guard who killed him says he did this because Mr Taseer recently defended the proposed amendments to the blasphemy law. This is what he told the police after surrendering himself."

Just a few days ago Taseer had spoken at a rally commemorating the third anniversary of the death of Benazir Bhutto at the hands of an assassin. There are strong forces for progress in Pakistan, but they have a huge mountain to climb. Meanwhile, good and principled people like Taseer are dying.

Post script: “You live life once, you live it by your principles and you live it courageously — that’s what it’s about.”

• NY Times has more details on the assassination.
• Mosharraf Zaidi on the implications for Pakistan's politics.
• DNA India on political reactions.
• Hindustan Times on worker protests at the assassination.