Babar says conspirators want to topple government

LAHORE: Federal Law Minister, Babar Awan, has said that the assassination of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer is an “action replay of the year 1996” when certain conspirators, to topple the government of Benazir Bhutto, allegedly murdered her brother. Likewise, he said, some elements wanted to re-write similar script against the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

Addressing a PPP’s parliamentary party meeting as chief guest after attending the funeral of martyred Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer in the Punjab Assembly’s cafeteria on Wednesday, Awan said it was the most important question was why the head of a province was murdered despite security and why was he killed in the federal capital.

He recalled that some elements had conspired against Benazir Bhutto’s last government in 1996, but when they could not succeed they killed her brother Murtaza Bhutto, and thus the democratic government collapsed. “PPP and the federation are the two sides of a coin that no one can separate in any case,” he remarked.

Speaking on the occasion, Punjab Senior Minister Raja Riaz Ahmad, who chaired the meeting, said that Taseer’s murder was politically motivated and added that certain elements were twisting the facts to show it as a religious matter. He assured the people that although PPP workers were seriously hurt, but they would continue adhering to a culture of politics of reconciliation in the future.

Of the three resolutions that were passed during the meeting, one demanded that all political aspects of the governor’s killing be disclosed. Neelam Jabbar, Tanveer Ashraf Kaira, Ashraf Sohna, Haji Ishaq, Dr Tanveerul Islam, Yousaf Ghurki, Sajida Malik, Sajida Mir, Uzma Bukhari and other PPP parliamentarians attended the meeting.

Earlier, Babar Awan visited PPP leader Munawar Anjum to condole his mother’s death. Talking to journalists at Anjum’s residence, the law minister alleged that the assassination of the Punjab governor was the outcome of a security lapse, which raised many questions.

He said the killing was politically motivated, and it should be investigated according to its magnitude. He said that PPP workers had lifted the coffin of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto and now they faced the assassination of Taseer with patience. But, he added, it was important to ascertain whether the incident was a security lapse, a targeted killing or a conspiracy against the system.

Babar said that security cover of all the constitutional heads of the provinces were equivalent to chief executives and security of all high profile personalities was the responsibility of the administration concerned and the rulers, but unfortunately it was not practiced in Punjab. “Even I am not provided appropriate security here and today (Wednesday) again all power apparatus has been applied to stop people during the governor’s funeral prayers,” he added. To prove his point, he asked the reporters to check his vehicle that was provided by the government for his security.

He lamented that security of the slain governor was delegated to assassins and questioned “how the responsibility for a VVIP’s security could be handed to those who were unfit for security”. Babar said he was not levelling allegations against any opponent or taking name of any rival of his party or the government, but it was necessary to unveil the facts behind the assassination of Taseer. “I have talked in accordance with the law and constitution, in which nobody was blamed or named,” he said.