Pak clerics refuse to lead funeral prayer for Taseer

The funeral prayer, scheduled for 1 pm local time, was delayed by almost an hour as the imam of Lahore's Shahi Masjid and the cleric of the mosque at the Governor's House along with several others refused to lead it, sources said.

The Jamaat-e-Ahl-e-Sunnat Pakistan, a grouping of scholars, had yesterday asked clerics not to lead the funeral prayer for Taseer, who was gunned down by one of his security guards at a posh market in Islamabad.

Afzal Chishti, a leader of the ulema (clerics) wing of the ruling PPP finally led the 'namaz-e-janaza' or funeral prayer at the Governor's House here.Taseer, 66, was then laid to rest with full state honours at the Cavalry Ground graveyard here, amid tight security.
Leaders of the main opposition PML-N, which is the governing party in Punjab, and religious parties were also conspicuous by their absence at the funeral.

Thousands of angry PPP workers, who gathered at the Governor's House, shouted slogans against religious parties and the PML-N.

Among the slogans were "Qatil Qatil, Nawaz Qatil, Shahbaz Qatil, Sanaullah Qatil" – a reference to senior PML-N leaders Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif and Rana Sanaullah – and "Taliban ka jo yaar hai, gaddar hai" (A friend of the Taliban is a traitor).

The funeral prayer was attended by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, federal ministers including Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar and Foreign Minister Shah Mahood Qureshi, and leaders of some other political parties.

President Asif Ali Zardari did not attend the funeral due to security reasons, PPP leaders said.Many PPP workers, especially women, broke down and wept