Let’s wipe out the PPP: On Daily Times’ editorial on Shahbaz Taseer’s kidnapping
Related post: PSF activists support Mumtaz Qadri? Poor reporting by the Daily Times: A plea to Shaheed Taseer’s family – by Shahid Khakwani
There are a number of key problems in Daily Times’ Editorial on Shahbaz Taseer’s kidnapping:
1. It completely wipes out the PPP as a persistent victim of the deep state and its proxies in Jihad Enterprise, Media and Judiciary.
2. It fails to identify ISI /army as the key institution responsible for religious fanaticism in Pakistan creating robots such as Mumtaz Qadri, Baitullah Mehsud, Malik Ishaq and Hafiz Saeed.
3. It fails to name Sipah-e-Sahaba as the most potent ally of TTP and ISI in Punjab.
4. It fails to identify ISI/army as a key sponsor of SSP and SSP-backing judiciary.
5. It fails to sympathize with the PPP whose leaders and supporters are being killed / harassed by the Deep State and its various proxies
6. It attempts to promote a controversial director of Human Rights Watch, whose selective morality (e.g., ignoring Shia Hazara genocide, Toori’s blockade etc) is already in question.
Here’s the editorial:
Shahbaz Taseer’s kidnapping
In a startling development, slain Governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer’s son Shahbaz Taseer was abducted from Lahore in broad daylight yesterday morning. Shahbaz was on his way to his office when he was intercepted by a group of armed men in cars and motorcycles and whisked away along with a friend who was riding with him. The friend was later released, but there is no word where and why Shahbaz was taken away by his abductors. So far there has been no claim of responsibility, therefore conjecture as to the possible perpetrators and their motives must lie in the realm of speculation. There appear at first glance to be three likely suspects: ‘friends’ of Mumtaz Qadri, the self-confessed assassin of Salmaan Taseer, with the possible motive of pressurising the authorities to release the murderer; fanatics who think the Taseer family is fair game for their unwanted attentions in the light of the warped perception that Salmaan Taseer’s criticism of the misuse and abuse of the blasphemy law was itself tantamount to blasphemy; and criminals of the kidnapping for ransom variety. A joint investigation team has been set up, all exits from Lahore have been sealed, and the incident has attracted the notice of the president, prime minister and the Punjab chief minister. Condemnations of the kidnapping have flown in thick and fast, including statements from Human Rights Watch and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. We pray that Shahbaz is returned to his distraught family well and safe.
Having said that, there are some unanswered questions and suspicions surrounding the whole affair. Whoever is behind this heinous crime seemed to know Shahbaz’s routine, timing and route every day to his office, etc. That gives rise to the suspicion that either the perpetrators had been watching Shahbaz’s movements for some time, or they had insider information. Suspicion is further aroused by the fact that, contrary to Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah’s repeated statement on television that Shahbaz had been provided a security detail but was in the habit of sometimes not taking the detail with him (a patent distortion of the truth), on the day of the occurrence, the security detail failed to turn up. Let us not forget that it was one of Salmaan Taseer’s own official security guards who shot him down in cowardly fashion and in cold blood in broad daylight. The rest of the security detail that day did not even twitch in response. Mumtaz Qadri’s lionisation by the right wing and religious extremists, including sadly sections of the lawyers community, focused minds on how far the influence of such warped ideas runs, including questions about how far the police and security forces are themselves imbued with extremist notions. The Taseer family, including Shahbaz, had been receiving threats since Salmaan Taseer’s assassination. That should have been enough to alert our somnolent security forces to take greater care. Even if, for the sake of argument, the mea culpa put forward by Rana Sanaullah and the high ups of the Punjab police that Shahbaz refused to take the security detail with him is accepted, why, in the light of the obtaining circumstances, were the security people so lax as to ‘surrender’ their clearly defined responsibility and duty? In the light of the above, there must remain questions whether Shahbaz Taseer’s kidnapping is merely a security lapse or a deep conspiracy.
The law and order and security situation in Punjab has given rise to concerns across the board in recent days. Not only is crime increasing, including kidnapping for ransom, a phenomenon to be expected when economic hardship is producing incremental desperation amongst the marginalised, the security situation is far from satisfactory, a result perhaps of the Punjab government’s acknowledged ‘soft’ approach to extremists and terrorists. In Punjab at least, such forces have been emboldened by the ruling PML-N’s kid gloves attitude to them, if not active collusion in some instances. It is a sad comment on the justice system that the Supreme Court’s suo motu notice produced a death sentence for the Rangers involved in the Sarfaraz Shah murder in Karachi within a month, but in Salmaan Taseer’s open and shut case with a self-confessed murderer, seven months have passed but the case is not being dealt with with any despatch. Had Salmaan Taseer’s murderer been administered swift and deserved justice by now, perhaps the right message would have gone out to Mumtaz Qadri’s ilk that such blatant murderous intent and actions would invite the full sanction of the law. Instead, the tardy pace of the proceedings in that case may well have encouraged such elements into believing they can get away with it. That view may be reinforced by the lack of closure in Federal Minister Shahbaz Bhatti’s assassination as well. It is now incumbent on the Punjab government and the provincial and federal law enforcement authorities to ensure the safe and unharmed recovery of Shahbaz Taseer. His family has already suffered grievously. We need to apply balm to their wounds, not sprinkle salt on them.
Source: Pakistan Blogzine
Instead of asking more people to die for your party, how about imposing your control over the police force in the provinces? Or would that mean that instead of casual supporters & those who put their intellectual necks out, like the HRW director (who btw has covered those tragedies, its just that Pakistan doesn’t stop producing them everywhere), the party leaders would have to put their necks out. Also instead of threatening a movement http://bit.ly/qkqzWg how about pulling all stops to recover ShahbazTaseer. I’m tired of these tragedies.This gov’s politicians are in holding pattern till elections. Good Night.
I support TLW. PPP is a party of the elite. Slmaan Taseer who was a great fan of Iftikhar Chaudhry, and who belonged to Lawyers Party, was killed by Zardari mafia. All PPP leaders have stolen Pakistan’s wealth and have run away to Paris and New York. A glaring example is the corrupt feudal lord Jamshed Dasti who was nowhere to be seen during the last floods.
I encourage TLW to form a Pakistan TLW Party which should stick its neck out against all forms of oppression. Let’s do a long march towards Aasia Bibi’s prison under the leadership of HRW Director Ali Dayan Hasan.
Our saviour in the Supreme Court wanted to release Aasia bibi but corrupt Zardari mafia is causing delay because they want a hefty sum of money from that poor woman.
NO PPP LEADER HAS EVER SACRIFICED HIS OR HER LIFE FOR PAKISTAN.
@TLW
You write: “how about imposing your control over the police force in the provinces?”
Clearly you don’t know who controls the police force in the Punjab.
Your hero Ali Dayan Hasan has written excellent reports on the silent massacre of Saraiki Shias of D.I.Khan and Hazara Shias of Quetta. Can you send me a link? I challenge you. That man is INCOMPETENT to say the least and perhaps as COMPROMISED as most of his fake civil society friends.
For Daily Times, the lesser said the better!
PPP is Allah’s curse on Pakistan.
Mehmal Sarfraz’s response to this post:
http://pakistanblogzine.wordpress.com/2011/08/27/lets-wipe-out-the-ppp-on-daily-times-editorial-on-shahbaz-taseers-kidnapping/#comment-1639
What good do you guys expect from Najam Sethi gang (Ejaz Haider, Mehmal, Malik Siraj Akber, Urooj Zia etc)?
Dear Real ZAB;
Between Rehman Malik & Zulfikar Mirza, President Zardari’s plan to “fix” the MQM sure has succeeded? What it hasn’t? Oh you people don’t know everything? Oh how sad. Now go attack someone else doggy.
And you want to talk about corruption. Can you spell The-President-Is-A-Shareholder-in-KESC ?
Clearly you don’t know who controls the police force in the Punjab.
I do know. The Sharif bratharan. You’ve given those idiots enough rope to hang themselves with, take control of the province in the next elections.
the silent massacre of Saraiki Shias of D.I.Khan
We’re kind of clogged up in the cities here. There’s a human rights abuse right after you cross the street. But yeah, keep transmitting the news, use real sources, nobody is stopping LUBP from really, really spreading the word. I’ve only heard of three or ten newsreports, nothing to the extent of the hundreds or scores, respectively, of reports that come in of murdered Baloch nationalists or Hazaras.
Hazara Shias of Quetta
People do know that that is going on.
But for now I would like to know where your lot get off on doing sly defamation.
attempts to promote a controversial director
“attempts to promote”? What the hell is this, an advertising supplement? In an op-ed if you have quotes (and the only loud international standard quote was from the HRW) then you USE IT. IT’S A QUOTE.
Let’s move on to the next part:
controversial director
Controversial to whom? A few bloggers on the internet?
For beyond threatening a “movement”, how about asking the government to show competency? Unless it’s for security for everybody.
Oh and Apologies to Abdul Nishapuri. I thought it was him who had posted this.
Turns out its Sarah Khan. She’s found a more bitchy replacement for Qurat-ul-Ain.
Good job Sarah, good job.
I am so sorry. I meant found a more bitchy replacement for Qudsia Siddiqui.
I keep getting LUBP’s professional defamatory Hit-Persons mixed up
😉
Haha, you know what I was thinking the oter day? Congratulations Punjab, equality HAS come to Pakistan’s largest province and supporter of extremism. A poor Christian woman, sits in jail like a political prisoner, gaining credit as someone who is suffering for minority right, staying safe in jail the way our politicians do while their opponents rule, whilst a Governor, a Minister and God knows who else has been murdered. And the governor’s son has been kidnapped. But the poor Christian woman is safe in jail.
Oh Pakistan, what stupid games you play and what strange phenomenon you throw up!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHA !!!!
To LUBP admin
Is it OK to call others dogs and bitches only because of difference of opinion? I request you to review TLW’s abusive comments and ban him or her from posting comments.
I appreciate @TLW’s comments in ADH’s support. There is a vile campaign in social media by a few rabid bloggers against ADH. People such as TLW are the real face of Pakistan’s liberals and our best hope. Well done, TLW.
Very poor reporting by Daily Times. In the past, they have published fake interview of Bramdagh Bugti.
Bramdagh Bugti says Daily Times fabricated his “bogus interview” http://criticalppp.com/archives/36974
DT editors must apologize to the PPP and the people of Pakistan.
Some tough questions for Ali Dayan Hasan, Pakistan Rep for Human Rights Watch
http://pakistanblogzine.wordpress.com/2011/07/04/some-tough-questions-for-ali-dayan-pakistan-rep-for-human-rights-watch/
You’re deflecting the issue. Let me bring the discussion back with a serious question:
Do you think somebody from Shahbaz Sharif’s cabinet ordered or aided the kidnap? We already know Rana Sanaullah is bff with militants.
Do you think the Noon league’s Jihadi faction is using the Punjab police for it’s dirty work?
And is the PPP too chicken to call it out on it. Or even tell them behind closed doors that this sort of pseudo Jihadi activism is not acceptable.
@TLW, I love your PPP-LUDP bashing. As a committed JI-PTI supportor, we need more people like you under Imran Khan PTI. Sir, Jihad is part of our faith and please don’t attack Jihad as does LUDP wallas do. This kidnapping was done by corrupt politicians who are out to defame our Pak Fauj.
Keep up the good work and I love your comments and your taking of LUDP!
I second Shakeel on this video.
As for the PTI I spat on the idea in 1996, as a child I spat on the idea when I first heard it aur mein uss phar thookta hoon aaj bhi.
The only corrupt politicians who I think who were involved in Shahbaz Taseer’s murder is Shahbaz Shareef, or Rana Sanaullah, or their ilk.
PPP protests against Shahbaz’s abduction, demands recovery
The protesters were holding placards and chanted slogans for Shahbaz’s early recovery, like “Shahbaz Taseer Ko Bazyab Karao”, “Salmaan Taseer Kay Qataloon Ko Phansi Do,” and “Na-Ahal Khadam-e-Aala Murdabad”.
http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=20118\31\story_31-8-2011_pg13_2
Some news papers lick the news that this kidnapping is inside family job due to property dispute.
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