President receives condolences

Turkish Prime Minister, Party MPs and US Consul General offer condolences

 

Karachi January 5, 2010: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan telephoned President Asif Ali Zardari Wednesday evening and condemned the assassination of Salman Taseer.

 

Offering his condolences and condemning the assassination of provincial governor the Turkish Prime Minister also asked the President to convey his heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved family and the people.

 

US Counsel General in Karachi William J Martin also called on the President and offered condolences over the death of Salman Taseer.

 

Throughout the day Party MPs kept visiting the Bilawal House Karachi to offer condolences to President Zardari who had cancelled all official and political engagements including a birthday celebration meeting of Party workers to celebrate the 83rd birthday today of the Party’s founding Chairman Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

 

The government has announced three day mourning for Salman Taseer. The Party also announced two week mourning.

 

Those who called on the President included MPAs Speaker Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Manzoor Wasan, Ayaz Soomro, Abdul Haque Bhurt, Ms. Ruqia Khanum Soomro, Ahmed Ali Jalbani, Ghulam Qadir Chandio, Dr. Sattar Rajper, Tasriq Masood Arain, Naeem Kharal, Ms. Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto and Ghulam Sarwar Khan Siyal.

 

Talking to the MPAs on the occasion the President said that the assassination of Salman Taseer was a great tragedy and a huge loss to the PPP and vowed to convert this loss into strength for the Party and the people.

 

The President said that it is yet to be established whether the assassination was a conspiracy against the system and the country behind the façade of religion.

 

He said that investigations were going on in the brutal murder and expressed the hope that soon the motives behind the macabre crime and the perpetrators and planners will be exposed and punished.

 

People from all walks of life both from within the country and abroad also made telephone calls to Bilawal House to express grief and shock and condemn the assassination of Salman Taseer and offered their condolences.

 

Spokesperson to President Farhatullah Babar said that the President has thanked all the well wishers who visited Bilawal House or called to offer condolences. The President has urged the people to remain calm and show restraint even in the face of a grave provocation, he said.