PAKISTAN: Punjab province governor Rehman Malik said Salman Taseer shot dead

Record ID: 352527

  • Title: PAKISTAN: Punjab province governor Rehman Malik said Salman Taseer shot dead
  • Date: 5th January 2011
  • Summary: ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (JANUARY 4, 2011) (REUTERS) POLICE AT MARKET WHERE GOVERNOR WAS SHOT DEAD POLICE PUTTING CORDON AROUND SITE OF FIRING BLOOD ON GROUND POLICEMEN STANDING AROUND GOVERNOR'S PRIVATE CAR POLICEMEN REMOVING PEOPLE FROM SITE OF KILLING NUMBER PLATE OF GOVERNOR'S PRIVATE CAR POLICEMEN LOOKING AT THE GROUND SPENT BULLET ON THE GROUND (SOUNDBITE) (Urd
  • Embargoed: 20th January 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Pakistan, Pakistan
  • Country: Pakistan
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVA6198SO2OVRV2CGL5L3OOZ3DDR
  • Story Text: A gunman assassinated the governor of Pakistan's central Punjab province, a senior member of the ruling party, in Islamabad on Tuesday (January 4) as a new political crisis gripped the strategic U.S. ally.
    Interior Minister Rehman Malik said Salman Taseer was killed by one of his guards probably because of his opposition to Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law, which rights groups say is often exploited by religious extremists as well as ordinary Pakistanis to settle personal scores.
    Islamist groups have been angry over what they believe were government plans to change or scrap the law.
    The violence comes as Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani tries to muster support for the government after a key coalition partner quit.
    A witness at the scene said Taseer was stepping out of his car when he was shot. He said the governor fell down and the man who fired on him threw down his gun and raised both hands.
    "There was a sound of three bursts (of fire). We were working inside; we rushed out to see the man who had been shot lying on the ground. There was blood on the ground. Then immediately the security forces arrived; there was a security high alert," said Waqas Raza, a worker at the shopping centre where the incident occurred.
    The shooting left blood stains on a parking area on the edge of Kohsar shopping centre, which is popular among foreigners in Islamabad.
    Pakistan's main opposition group said on Tuesday it would not force a no-confidence vote in the government, offering a reprieve but leaving the coalition weak after a key ally quit at the weekend.
    The second-biggest opposition party also said it would not push for a no-confidence vote, suggesting the opposition may prefer to wear down a weak prime minister by blocking legislation or even through street protests to force a call for an early election.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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