http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/05/pakistan-religious-organisations-salman-taseerThe 66-year-old [Governor of Punjab] was assassinated yesterday by Mumtaz Qadri, one of his police bodyguards, after he had campaigned for reform of the law on blasphemy.
I'm less alarmed by incidences in the world of Islam than I am by trends, as in the Christian world we have plenty of violent incidences to point at. What ought to be concerning here is the effet of radicalization of Islam IN GENERAL in Pakistan, as they are our "allies" in our present war in Aghanistan. So look past the religious ramifications here for a moment, and look at its impact socially/politically in the region.
Pakistan's chief enemy is India, also an ally of ours and presently the home of the fastest growing middle class economy on the planet. India has a lot of religious conflict within its borders, and is not immune to trends that foment in its neighbors, however they've managed a sense of balance. It would not take much to provoke India if they perceive Pakistan is out of balance, and the US would be left to pick sides. If we pick India (and I believe we should), we will have to abandon Afghanistan, and Iran will help Pakistan. Pakistan is also far more militarily developed than Iraq, especially since we (the US) continue to train and equip them, so this will not be a simple fight. We're also at a horrible time politically/economically to engage in a no-kidding war (as opposed to whatever we want to call OIF/OEF) with a hostile, well armed agressor. I would anticipate that US policy will be to make nice with Pakistan, and India will like us less and less.
