Salman Taseer
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Salmaan Taseer | |
|---|---|
 Salmaan Taseer in 2009 | |
| 26th Governor of Punjab | |
| In office 15 May 2008 – 4 January 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Lt Gen Khalid Maqbool |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 June 1946[citation needed] Lahore, Dominion of Pakistan[citation needed] |
| Died | 4 January 2011 (aged 64) Islamabad, Pakistan |
| Political party | Pakistan Peoples Party |
| Spouse(s) | Tavleen Singh Aamna Taseer |
| Children | Aatish Taseer Maryam Shehryar Shahbaz Sara Sanam Shehr Bano |
| Residence | Governor's House (Lahore) (during office) |
| Alma mater | Chartered Accountant, from London [1] |
| Website | salmaantaseer.com |
Salmaan Taseer (Urdu, Template:Lang-pa; June 12, 1946[citation needed]– January 4, 2011) was a Pakistani businessman and politician who served as the governor of the province of Punjab from 2008 to 2011.
He was a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and had also served as a minister in the caretaker cabinet of Prime Minister Muhammad Mian Soomro under Pervez Musharraf. Taseer was also the chairman and CEO of the First Capital and Worldcall Group.
He was appointed to the post of governor on May 15, 2008, in place of outgoing governor, Lt Gen (R) Khalid Maqbool[2] by then-President Musharraf at the request of the PPP establishment.
On January 4, 2011, Taseer was assassinated in Islamabad by his own security guard, who disagreed with his opposition to Pakistan's blasphemy law.[3]
Political career
Taseer started his political career in his student era, as a member of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the late 1960s.[4] He was a part of the movement for Bhutto's freedom and opposed his arrest and death sentence.[4] He also wrote a political biography on Bhutto titled Bhutto: A political biography (1980).[4]
In the 1988 general elections, Taseer became a member of the Punjab Assembly from Lahore.[4] In the 1990, 1993 and 1997 general elections, he ran as an MNA but lost.[4]
In 2007, he was appointed the interim Federal Minister for Industries, Production and Special Initiatives.[4]
On May 15, 2008, Taseer was designated for the office of Governor of Punjab by the PPP-led coalition government.[5]
Some veteran politicians have suggested to President Asif Ali Zardari that he appoint Ms. Amna Taseer, the widow of the late Salman Taseer, as Governor of Punjab. If she is appointed, she would become the second female governor in Pakistan and first female governor of Punjab. It is, however, yet to be accepted or acceded to by the ruling parties in Punjab province.
Business career
Taseer set up several chartered accountancy and management consultancy firms early in his career.[6] In 1995, he established the First Capital Securities Corporation (FCSC), a full service brokerage house with equity participation by Smith Barney, Inc., USA, and HG Asia Hong Kong.[6]
Taseer founded the Worldcall group with a payphone network in 1996. The group has grown over the years to become a major private sector telecom operator with a national and regional footprint.[6] A majority stake in Worldcall was acquired by Omantel, the Sultanate of Oman's incumbent operator, in 2008.[7]
Taseer also owned an English news channel in Pakistan, Business Plus and the first kids' channel, Wikkid Plus,[6] and was the publisher of the English language Daily Times.[6]
Personal life
Salman Taseer was married to Aamna Taseer; the couple resided in Lahore. They had six children; Maryam, Shehryar, Shahbaz, Sara, Sanam and Shehr Bano.
Taseer also has a son, Aatish Taseer (born 1980), with Indian journalist, Tavleen Singh. Married at the time, Taseer met Singh during a book promotion trip to India in the late 70s. Aatish is a freelance journalist in the UK and has recently written a book titled Stranger to History: A Son’s Journey through Islamic Lands on his estranged relationship with his father.[8][9]
Taseer was known to be one of the trusted aides of Benazir Bhutto.[1] He was a class fellow of Nawaz Sharif at Saint Anthony School, Lahore.[1] He had obtained a degree in Chartered Accountancy from London.[1]
Controversy
He stood for change in the Constitution declaring Ahmadi community to be non-muslims to be revoked. However, he never claimed or commented about himself having the same religious belief.[citation needed]
In a recent interview with Meher Bukhair, on Samaa TV, Salman Taseer commented his view about the blasphemy law and filing a mercy petition for Asia Bibi who has been charged death sentence by a court under the Blasphemy Law.[citation needed]
In December 2010 as Punjab Governor, he left the country without handing over charge to the speaker, this meant that the province was without a constitutional head, and it also rendered the assembly speaker ineligible to preside over the session. Leaving the province without informing his successor was in violation of the constitution and this led to calls for his resignation.[citation needed] Evidence provided by ICAO on the governor's travel abroad, led to a case being filed in court for breach of the constitution.[10]
Death
Salman Taseer was shot 27 times by an AK-47 fired from close range on January 4, 2011 at Kohsar Market in Sector F6, Islamabad, Pakistan,[3][11] as he was returning to his car after meeting a friend for lunch. Taseer later succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital[5] in Islamabad, a popular shopping and cafe spot for the city's elite and expatriates.[3]
The assailant, Malik Mumtaz Qadri, was part of the security detail provided to him by the Elite Police. After the shooting, Qadri turned himself in to authorities. Qadri reportedly said he killed Taseer due to his vocal opposition of the Blasphemy law in Pakistan.[12][13] Notably, Taseer made headlines when he appealed for the pardon of a Christian woman, Asia Bibi,[14][dubious – discuss] who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy.[15] It was suspected that this was the main reason for his assassination.[16][17]
After his assassination, protests erupted in different parts of Punjab. Protestors also burned tyres and blocked traffic in Lahore.[18]
References
- ^ a b c d "Profile of new Punjab Governor". APP. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
- ^ "Salmaan Taseer to be new Punjab governor". Daily Times. 15 May 2008.
- ^ a b c Haider, Zeeshan; Georgy, Michael (4 January 2011). "Pakistan's Punjab province governor shot dead". Reuters. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e f "Salman Taseer Profile". Pakistan Herald. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
- ^ a b Bhatti, Hussain (4 January 2011). "Pakistani governor assassinated by own guard in capital".
- ^ a b c d e "Profile of Salman Taseer". Retrieved 28 July 2010.
- ^ "Omantel acquires 65 percent shares of WorldCall". Daily Times. Retrieved 19 April 2008.
- ^ "Present In Our Memory Games". outlookindia.com.
- ^ "Clash of Civilisations?". newslinemagazine.com. July 2009.
- ^ "The News". The News. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- ^ "Punjab Governor Salman Taseer Assassinated in Islamabad, Pakistan". BBCnews. 2011-1-4. Retrieved 2001-1-4.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ "Governor assassinated in Islamabad, Pakistan". IndiaVoice. 2011-1-4. Retrieved 2011-1-4.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ Christians step up campaign for release of Asia Bibi
- ^ PAKISTAN Asia Bibi still in prison. Government u-turn on law against blasphemy - Asia News
- ^ BBC News - Pakistan on strike against bill to amend blasphemy law
- ^ BBC News - Punjab Governor Salman Taseer assassinated in Islamabad
- ^ Salman Taseer, outspoken Pakistani governor assassinated; security guard arrested
- ^ http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/04/protests-erupt-after-taseer-assassination.html