Investigation starts about Pakistani governor's murder
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Supporters grieve during funeral prayers for Punjab Governor Salman Taseer at the Governor's House in Lahore January 5, 2011. [Xinhua/Reuters Photo] |
The assassin, a commando of Elite Force, a section of Punjab police, Qadari gave a written statement to the police claiming that he took this step because the governor was working against the blasphemy law of Islam which barred to say anything against the Muslims' Prophet Muhammad.
Local Urdu TV channel Geo News reported that during the investigation Qadari told that he had already talked to his colleagues about his plan to kill the governor requesting them not to open fire at him when he would kill the governor.
Quoting the police sources Urdu daily Express said that the governor did not inform Islamabad police about his secret visit to the capital while murderer Qadari requested his duty officer to send him along with the governor's security staff.
According to police department staff reports, Qadari was one of those 11 police commandos who were declared unfit for the security of high officials. Police has arrested the official who appointed him on the duty in spite of his unsatisfactory departmental report.
The real motive behind the murder is yet to be investigated as the incident came at a time when the current government of Pakistan people's party (PPP) was facing severe political crises after it has lost the simple majority in the seats of the lower house.
Pakistan's federal minister of law Babar Awan talking to media on Wednesday afternoon termed the incident as "political murder" and demanded a broaden investigation to reveal the conspiracy behind it.
"We cannot say that this incident occurred only due to a security collapse, there are many other points and hints present to be interrogated," said Awan, after the burial of the governor.
A lot of pressure is mounting on the government to investigate the matter speedily. Following the murder a country wide protests started by the PPP workers against the incident.
Taseer is the second highest ranking member of PPP who was assassinated in the last decade in the country after former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto who was assassinated during an election rally in Pakistan in Dec. 2007.
Taseer was laid to rest with full State honor in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore on Wednesday as the country is on mourning for three days. Several PPP leaders including Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, other politicians and party workers participated in the prayers.
Latest media reports said that after some basic interrogation police released six waiters of the restaurant where governor took his lunch.
