LAHORE – The Women’s Action Forum (WAF) has condemned in the strongest terms the brutal murder of the Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer, “whose principled stand for justice was deliberately and maliciously distorted by extremists in the country in the pursuit of their own political ends”.
In a press statement issued on Sunday, WAF said incitement to violence in the name of religion had become widely prevalent in the country and the state had failed in its duty to curb this mischief. “The murder of Salman Taseer is part of a strategy adopted since the time of Ziaul Haq to misuse religion in order to undermine democratic dialogue and to establish religious autocracy. This is unacceptable in a Muslim majority country, no particular group should be allowed monopoly over religious views,” it said.
“This must stop now! There must be a strong and effective law in this country to hold accountable elements that are deliberately provoking and inciting violence in the name of religion. This is critical for safeguarding the right to life and security of the people of Pakistan. It is high time for political forces to play their expected role and not avoid responsibility to steer the nation on a saner path, rather than succumbing to pressure from mischievous elements.
