Governor of Pakistan's Punjab shot dead by guard

Islamabad, Jan 5, IRNA -- Governor of Pakistan's eastern Punjab province Salman Taseer was shot dead in the capital Islamabad on Tuesday, the Interior Minister Rehman Malik said.

Malik told reporters that a guard opened fire at the governor at Kohsar Market in Islamabad where he had gone for lunch.

The governor was shifted to the city's Poly Clinic Hospital but he died of wounds.

The interior minister said that the attacker from the special anti-terror Elite Force told the police that he killed the governor as he had described the blasphemy law as black law.

He said the guard Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri surrendered himself and his weapon after the incident.

Salman Taseer had recently campaigned against the blasphemy law and also sought presidential pardon for a Christian woman, who had been awarded death sentence in a blasphemy case.

The police also took six people into custody from the site of the attack for questioning.

Doctors said that the slain governor received nine bullets.

The Punjab police chief ordered the arrest of all guards with the governor.

Salman Taseer, a close friend of President Asif Zardari, had also served as minister in the caretaker cabinet of Prime Minister Muhammad Mian Soomro under Pervez Musharraf.

Taseer was also the chairman and CEO of the First Capital and Worldcall Group.

He was appointed to the post of governor on 15 May 2008 in place of outgoing governor, Lt Gen (R) Khalid Maqbool, by former President, Pervez Musharraf at the request of the Peoples Party of President Zardari.

The Interior Minister said the government has launched investigation to determine as the attacker acted on individual basis or any other person was involved in the conspiracy./end