Religious parties offer blood money to Taseer’s family
12 March 2015 10:51 PM GMT
A group of Pakistan’s prominent religious parties proposed to pay blood money to slain Punjab governor Salman Taseer’s family to pardon his killer, but the family today rejected the offer.
Mumtaz Qadri, a former police commando, killed Taseer with his official gun in Islamabad in 2011 for criticising the controversial blasphemy laws.
The blood money was offered after Islamabad High Court on Monday rejected his appeal against conviction by a lower court and upheld his death penalty.
Shaan Taseer, the son of slain governor, rejected the offer in a statement.
“On behalf of my family, I would like to state in no unclear terms that any such offer will be taken as an affront to the memory of my father, who laid his life down for a principle. There shall be no discussion on the topic of blood money with me or any member of my family,” he said.
Earlier, leaders of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (JUP), the Jamaat Ahle Sunnat, the Pakistan Sunni Tehreek and the Pakistan Sunni Alliance offered the blood money yesterday.
“We are ready to pay much more Khoonbaha (blood money) to the family of Salman Taseer (for Qadri’s release),” said JUP leader Shabbir Abu Talib said yesterday in Karachi.
He cited the case of CIA contractor Raymond Davis who was freed after paying blood money to families of two men he killed in Lahore in 2011.
Mumtaz Qadri, a former police commando, killed Taseer with his official gun in Islamabad in 2011 for criticising the controversial blasphemy laws.
The blood money was offered after Islamabad High Court on Monday rejected his appeal against conviction by a lower court and upheld his death penalty.
Shaan Taseer, the son of slain governor, rejected the offer in a statement.
“On behalf of my family, I would like to state in no unclear terms that any such offer will be taken as an affront to the memory of my father, who laid his life down for a principle. There shall be no discussion on the topic of blood money with me or any member of my family,” he said.
Earlier, leaders of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (JUP), the Jamaat Ahle Sunnat, the Pakistan Sunni Tehreek and the Pakistan Sunni Alliance offered the blood money yesterday.
“We are ready to pay much more Khoonbaha (blood money) to the family of Salman Taseer (for Qadri’s release),” said JUP leader Shabbir Abu Talib said yesterday in Karachi.
He cited the case of CIA contractor Raymond Davis who was freed after paying blood money to families of two men he killed in Lahore in 2011.
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