Appointment of new governor: centre should take Punjab into confidence: PML-N

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson Siddiqul Farooq has said that Federal Government should take Punjab government into confidence regarding the appointment of new governor after assassination of Salmaan Taseer.
Speaking at a news conference here on Thursday, he said that although it was a prerogative of the President and the Federal Government to appoint governor of Punjab, it is important that the provincial government and chief minister are taken on board in this respect.
Farooq rejected that the assassination of Governor Salmaan Taseer was a 'political murder', as asserted by Pakistan People's Party (PPP). He urged President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and other leaders to refrain from issuing 'irresponsible' statements on the murder of Salmaan Taseer.
Law Minister Babar Awan had termed the assassination of Salmaan Taseer as political murder the other day. Commenting on the PPP's Secretary Information Fauzia Wahab's statement that Taseer's assassination was a political murder, Farooq said "This is extremely misleading and irresponsible attitude." He was of the view that jumping to the conclusion before completion of the joint investigation was 'irrational', adding that the autopsy report after the post-mortem of the slain governor was released on Wednesday and Islamabad's chief commissioner had appointed an investigation team the same evening. Simultaneously, a judicial inquiry was instituted the same day, he said, adding that they should wait for the final investigation report.
He said that the murder accused, Malik Mumtaz Qadri's confessional statement should also be made part of the interrogations. Qardri has reportedly confessed that he killed the late Governor for his comment about blasphemy law. He said that declaring Taseer's assassination as a political murder was an attempt to divert investigation and influence judicial inquiry. "This tendency is highly condemnable. I would like to advise the PPP leaders and ministers not to attempt to exert pressure on working of the joint investigation team," he opined.
He also pointed out that Punjab government has issued a policy statement assuring all concerned that it would cooperate and co-ordinate in all stages of investigation into Taseer's assassination, adding that the son of late Punjab Governor, Sheharyar Taseer had stated in the FIR that his father was being threatened. He asked that why the police and other relevant agencies were not timely informed about the threats. He added that if the information was passed on to them then it must also be made part of the record for the joint investigation team and the judicial commission formed to hold inquiry.