Pakistan's PM condemns governor killing

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/158614.html


Pakistan's prime minister has strongly condemned the assassination of Punjab governor and ordered an immediate probe into the killing.

"The prime minister has ordered for a high level inquiry into the incident and [to] submit the report at the earliest. The culprits involved in the assassination, he said, would be brought to justice," Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani's office said in a statement on Tuesday.

This comes after the powerful governor of Pakistan's Punjab province, Salman Taseer, was killed in a shooting in the capital of Islamabad on Tuesday. Five other people were also wounded as other security personnel responded to the attack.

Taseer was a high-profile member of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and a close ally of President Asif Ali Zardari.

Gilani announced a three-day national mourning period and has called supporters of his PPP to remain calm.

Zardari has announced that the PPP workers will observe two weeks of mourning.

"PPP co-chairman [Zardari] has announced that all party events are cancelled and for the next two weeks, the party will observe mourning," AFP quoted Fauzia Wahab, central Information Secretary of the PPP as saying.

"The party has rendered so many martyrdoms and there is one more," she said.

According to the interior ministry, he was killed because of his opposition to controversial blasphemy laws.

The Islamabad government says some political groups were misusing this law against minorities.

Experts say the uproar over the law has more to do with politics than religion.

The developments come at a time when the Islamabad government is trying to tackle the growing militancy, political instability and economic crisis in the country.

Taseer's death is expected to further add to instability in the country.