Salman Taseer, governor of Pakistan's Punjab, shot dead
04 Jan 2011
Governor of Pakistan's largest province Punjab was shot dead by his own security guard, for speaking against the blasphemy law, as terrorists started striking at the heart of Islamabad.
Taseer, a close aide of Pakistani President Asif Zardari, was shot near a coffee shop in Koshar market in the heart of Islamabad today.
Taseer, who was rushed to the hospital, succumbed to his injuries, Pakistan Television quoted officials as saying.
The guard, named Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadr, shot Taseer when he was sitting inside his car, reports quoted eyewitnesses as saying.
The guard has since surrendered before the police and confessed to his crime.
"I killed the governor because he termed the blasphemy law as Kala Kanoon (black law)," he told the police.
Salman Taseer is believed to have termed blasphemy laws as a black law, thereby offending Pakistan's hardliners.
Taseer had also assured his support to a minority religion woman who had been arrested under the draconian blasphemy law.
