Foreign Desk Beyondheadlines
No clues could be gathered of the where about of Shahbaz Taseer following his kidnapping in Lahore on last Friday. Eight teams are raiding different parts of the city while the fingerprint from the scene of kidnapping were sent for verification to National Data base Registration Authority (NADRA). Shaheryar Taseer , his brother suspect extremist behind the kidnapping. No threats or call for ransom have been received by the family so far .No one has claimed responsibility.
One of the guards posted with Shahbaz Taseer was taken into custody and had his weapon seized when police questioned him and he revealed another guard was on leave. He had not left the house with Taseer but had later been told to go to the office. Pakistan People’s Party Punjab unit President has called for protest on Monday against Punjab Government in maintaining a poor law and order situation and the recovery of the son of the late politician.
Unidentified men kidnapped the son of slain Pakistani politician and Governor Punjab Salman Taseer .Shahbaz Taseer, the eldest son of former governor Salmaan Taseer, is a director in several companies his father founded, including Pace Pakistan Ltd., First Capital Equities Ltd., Media Times Ltd. and First Capital Securities Corp. Ltd.He was on his way to work and a lane away from his First Capital Security office when his Mercedes was intercepted in Gulberg area. Unmasked men in full public glare huddled him in a jeep and sped off throwing his mobile, i pad, laptop and a weapon out of the vehicle.His family was informed by a company employee passerby who saw his abandoned car .
Government had provided security to Taseer family, including Shahbaz but on that day he was traveling without one. As soon as news broke of the incident, the federal government and the Punjab administration got into action with Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif asking all security organizations to pool in efforts to trace Mr. Taseer without any delay. This is the second high-profile kidnapping in Lahore this month. On August 13, an American development consultant, Warren Weinstein, had been kidnapped from his well-guarded residence at crack of dawn.
The family has been facing threats following the assisination of the Governor by his own bodyguard in January this year for speaking up for Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman facing blasphemy charges. The assisination went without condemnation indicating the rising grip of intolerance and extremism in Pakistani society.Last week, the cleric who led the funeral prayers for Salmaan Taseer was forced to flee the country following threats.According to a report by the Press Trust of India, Muhammad Afzal Chishti, the secretary general of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Ulema wing, had left the country after having received numerous threats against his life. Chishti’s son Moin Chishti had filed an application with the Punjab Police chief, requesting him to provide security to the cleric’s family living in Lahore.
