mr president to make a personal statement i spent a lot of time with salmaan taseer when we were both in our twenties
indeed we were friends
salmaan wrote to me at parliament to invite me to stay as his personal guest at the governor's house in the punjab
that letter arrived after governor taseer's murder
salmaan was a man of charm charisma and high intelligence
he was also very capable and effective
he represented the best tradition of pakistan a devout muslim but not in any way fundamentalist
as has been said salmaan strongly supported a christian lady who had been sentenced under blasphemy laws
salmaan paid for that support with his life
it was a political assassination
pakistan is not only a large developing country
it is a country with over twenty nuclear warheads
i came here today first and foremost to express my profound sorrow but i must also express my concern all our concern for pakistan
