Washington, Safar 01, 1432, Jan 05, 2011, SPA -- The United States said Tuesday that the assassination of the governor of Pakistan’s Punjab province, Salman Taseer, was a “great loss” because he was trying to stabilize his country. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will offer Washington’s condolences to Hussain Haqqani, the Pakistani ambassador to Washington, when she meets him later Tuesday, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters. “From our standpoint, his death is a great loss. He was committed to helping the government and people of Pakistan persevere in their campaign to bring peace and stability to their country,” Crowley said. Taseer was shot dead at an Islamabad market by a bodyguard, officials said. --SPA 13:04 LOCAL TIME 10:04 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/852690