Pak Punjab Governor assails provincial govt over Shahbaz Taseer's abduction

Lahore, August 27(ANI): Sardar Latif Khosa, the Governor of Pakistan's Punjab province, has said that the blame for the abduction of Shahbaz Taseer rests squarely on the provincial government.

Shahbaz, the son of slain former Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer, was abducted on gunpoint by unknown men from Lahore's Gulburg area on Friday.

"They had killed Salman Taseer and now they have abducted his son. I want to tell them not to further test our patience, as it is not acceptable to us," the Dawn quoted Khosa, as saying at a press conference at the Governor's House.

In January, Shahbaz's father- Salmaan Taseer- a liberal politican, was shot dead by one of his own bodyguard for championing the case of Aasia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman who was sentenced to death last November for allegedly committing blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad.

"Yes, there appears to be a direct involvement of elements in the Punjab government in the incident as Shahbaz Taseer has been abducted in broad daylight from a busy road, and if the Punjab government is really sincere in recovering him, it can do it within hours," said Khosa.

He added in the same breath that if there was no involvement of the Punjab government, it nevertheless "exposes its inefficiency".

Khosa also wondered as to why the Punjab government did not take seriously an intelligence report about the possible abduction of the son(s) of influential personalities.

"It is a shame that after the murder of Salman Taseer, the Punjab government failed to provide proper security to his family members, despite being fully aware of the threat to their lives," he said. (ANI)