Funeral prayers for Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab, were held in Lahore, in Pakistan, on January 5, amid tight security and fears of greater turmoil. Taseer was shot dead by his security guard in Islamabad, on January 4. He was reportedly one of Pakistan’s strongest voices against religious extremism.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, politicians and supporters of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) attended the funeral prayers at Governors House, at the Punjab seat of government, in Lahore.

At the request of the PPP establishment, Taseer became governor on May 15, 2008, in place of outgoing governor Khalid Maqbool, by former President Pervez Musharraf.

The death of the 66-year-old politician, has received widespread condemnation from around the world and is a great loss for the ruling PPP amid the fragile political climate of the country.

Senior Punjab Minister Raja Riaz Ahmad condemned the assassination. “Some anti-State elements wanted to destabilise the country by such activities. The whole nation is grieved. It is tragic day in the history of Pakistan. Taseer’s services for the party would be remembered forever,” he told media.

Taseer’s death is being referred to as a high-profile assassination following the death of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto three years ago. Both the President, Asif Ali Zardari, and Gilani have directed Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik to supervise the investigation and to expeditiously provide a report to them. Riaz Ahmad said that the motive for the murder would be revealed after the investigation.

Other media reports indicated that investigations are now under way to determine if the assassination was part of a wider conspiracy, following the statement by Taseer’s killer, who confessed to the crime owing to Taseer’s stance to reform blasphemy laws, which dates back to the 1980s military rule of general Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, which is Pakistan's Penal Code to prohibit and punish blasphemy against Islam and ranges from from a fine to death.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the assassination of the prominent leader and said that his death was a heavy loss for Pakistan.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Taseer’s death a “a great loss.”

“I had the opportunity to meet governor Taseer in Pakistan and admired his work to promote tolerance and the education of Pakistan’s future generations,” she said.

France hailed him as a man known for his “courage in defending democratic institutions.” Deputy Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christine Fages said: “France firmly condemns the assassination on Tuesday of Taseer, who was a political personality of the highest order.”