A mans tryst with the Blasphemy law

Salmaan Taseer had openly opposed the blasphemy law,which was introduced in the 1980s during the tenure of late president Zia-ul-Haq. Taseer had recently campaigned for the pardon of Aasia Bibi,a 45-year-old Christian woman and mother of five,who was sentenced to death under the blasphemy law after being convicted for insulting the Prophet Mohammad.

Taseer,one of the moderate voices in the ruling PPP,had tweeted hours before his killing that his determination was so strong that he was not afraid of the surrounding fire. He wrote on micro-blogging website Twitter: Mera azm itna bulund hae/Parae sholon se dar nahin/Mujhe dar hae tu atish-e-gul se hae/Ye kahin chaman ko jala na dein. (My determination is so strong that Im not afraid of the surrounding fire/What Im afraid of is that the fiery beauty of the flower does not burn my garden). He had tweeted some days ago that he would continue to speak out against the blasphemy law despite backslash from hardline and religious elements.

Dozens of Pakistanis are sentenced to death each year under the blasphemy law. Most cases are thrown out by higher courts and no executions have been carried out,but human rights activists have long complained that the law is used to settle rivalries and persecute religious minorities.

Under pressure from Islamist parties,the PPP said recently it would not pursue changes to the law. Human rights activists were dismayed at Taseers death,considering the difficulties the PPP has had in advancing any legislation on human rights because of its alliances with Islamist parties. Taseer showed himself to be a rare politician,willing to risk his life in espousing an unambiguous position against discrimination and abuse, said Ali Dayan Hasan,senior South Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch.