Lahore, January 4: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has condemned the assassination of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, expressing grief and alarm at his murder and calling it a manifestation of growing intolerance in society.

A statement issued by the Commission on Tuesday said: “HRCP is saddened by the murder of the governor, which must be condemned by all sane people, and is alarmed at the ever growing shadow of intolerance and violence in society. A thorough inquiry to establish the motives of the killer must be held so that people do not jump to conclusions. It would be exceedingly unfortunate if it turns out that the governor’s call for sanity following the death sentence of Asia Bibi’s on charges of blasphemy or differences with political opponents in any way led to his assassination. The fact that the killer was a policeman is a matter of acute concern and shows the extent to which the services have been infected by intolerance.”

Dr Mehdi Hasan

Chairperson