Death Of A Moderate In Pakistan
By: Mansoor Ishfaq

I condemn Gov. Salman Taseer's murder in the strongest terms. This is a black day in the history of Pakistan which arose due to the “Black Law” against humanity. Taseer was the only person who had courage to visit Ahmadiyya Mosques after terrorist attacks back in May 2010 and bravely defended Asia Bibi - a Christian woman accused of blasphemy. With his death, Pakistan has lost a fundamental pillar, supporting the moderate force against fundamentalist’s philosophy.

This courageous man posted on Twitter on Dec 31, “I was under huge pressure sure 2 cow down b4 rightest pressure on blasphemy. Refused. Even if I’m the last man standing”.

It is alarming that many people in Pakistan have sympathy with the killer. A two-week period of mourning has been declared. Pakistan should use that time to decide whether they are ready to fight the Mullahs responsible for the murder, or just sit back and wait for the next period of mourning.