Salmaan Taseer shot dead by bodyguard in central Islamabad after speaking out against blasphemy laws

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

The governor of Pakistan's wealthiest province has been killed by one of his own bodyguards, apparently because he had spoken out against the country's controversial blasphemy laws.

In the most high-profile political assassination since the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in December 2007, Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer was shot nine times at Kohsar market, an upmarket shopping area less than a mile from the presidential palace.

The interior minister, Rahman Malik, said that the gunman had told police he had killed Taseer for criticising the country's blasphemy legislation.

Taseer, who was close to President Asif Ali Zardari and an outspoken critic of militant groups, was pronounced dead at the nearby Poly Clinic hospital. He had recently courted the anger of Islamist extremists by defending a Christian woman condemned to death for blasphemy. Taseer called for the repeal of the "disgraceful" laws after Aasia Bibi was sentenced under the colonial-era law.

"He was the most courageous voice after Benazir Bhutto on the rights of women and religious minorities," said Farahnaz Ispahani, an aide to Zardari and friend of Taseer. "God, we will miss him."

Witnesses said a member of Taseer's security unit opened fire as the governor left his vehicle. Other police officials returned fire at the attacker who then surrendered. Five other people were wounded in crossfire.

Early television pictures showed police officers swarming around a bloodstained street littered with bullet casings, with a lightly damaged vehicle parked nearby. "The governor fell down and the man who fired at him threw down his gun and raised both hands," said the witness, Ali Imran.

Taseer was believed to be meeting someone for a meal, Malik said. Other members of his security detail were being questioned, he said. The security for Taseer was provided by the Punjab government.

"We will see whether it was an individual act or someone had asked him [to do it]," Malik said of the attacker.

Taseer, a leading member of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party, frequently used Twitter to get across his views.

His death is likely to heighten the political instability triggered when one of the government's main allies pulled out of the ruling coalition at the weekend.

Taseer lived in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, but had a large official residence in Islamabad and was a frequent visitor.

Minorities in Pakistan are routinely convicted in blasphemy cases on hearsay and scant evidence, with charges often brought to settle personal scores or unrelated disputes such as property ownership. The charge itself is often enough for vigilantes to take matters in their own hands and kill the accused.