The son of an assassinated liberal Pakistani politician was kidnapped in Lahore on Friday in the latest indication of Pakistan’s growing lawlessness.
Shahbaz Taseer’s father, Salman Taseer, outspoken governor of the populous Punjab province, was killed by an Islamist policeman in January.
Shahbaz Taseer was driving with a friend in the upper-class Gulberg neighbourhood of Lahore when they were stopped by gunmen. He was taken away, while his friend was released unharmed by the kidnappers, according to a government official.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. “At this stage, we have no indication of who would have taken my brother and what would be their motive,” Sheharyar Taseer, the victim’s brother, told the Financial Times.
“My family received threats all the time and I assume some of those came from Islamic groups”.
The kidnapping underlines the deteriorating security situation in parts of Pakistan, where kidnappings for ransom and killings at gunpoint have become increasingly common.
In the past two months, more than 300 people have been killed in the southern port city of Karachi in a turf war that seemingly involves local criminal gangs and high-profile political groups.
Warren Weinstein, a US development expert who worked on a US funded project, was kidnapped in Lahore on August 13, prompting fears that western officials were in danger of being targeted by kidnappers. He is still missing.
The failure of President Asif Ali Zardari and Yusuf Raza Gilani, his prime minister, to halt the lawlessness has unleashed fresh criticism of the ruling structure.
Shahbaz Taseer’s kidnapping “shows how lawlessness is rising as the country’s political leaders preoccupy themselves with power plays at the expense of governance”, said Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US and the UK.
Salman Taseer, a businessman and close ally of Mr Zardari’s, was shot and killed at close range by Malik Mumtaz Qadri, a policeman who was supposed to be guarding him.
Mr Qadri later told police investigators he had killed Mr Taseer because of his defence of Aasia Bibi – a Christian woman jailed on a debatable blasphemy charge.
Human rights campaigners say Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws have often been used by Islamic zealots to target non-Muslims.
The Karachi killings have sparked calls from business leaders for the army to be called in to take charge of security in the city of 18m, where drug trafficking and criminality are widespread.
However, Mr Gilani this week turned down those demands and ordered police and paramilitary troops to launch a fresh campaign to clean up nine of the city’s worst affected neighbourhoods.
Hasan Askari Rizvi, a political analyst, warned: “The political system appears to be failing in its ability to take charge of Pakistan’s internal challenges. Unless politicians can come together, unite and decide to take charge of Pakistan irrespective of their narrow partisan interests, conditions will continue to aggravate”.
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