2014-05-31, 8:51 PM Blasphemy law claims another life - Pakistan - DAWN.

COM
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Blasphemy
law claims an!
other life
By From the Newspaper
Updated Jan 04, 2011 10:11pm
A plain-clothed policeman cordons off the
site where Salman Taseer was shot dead
in Islamabad. Reuters
ISLAMABAD: Salman Taseer, the
amboyant and high-prole Governor
of Punjab, was gunned down here on
Tuesday by one of his security
guards.
The guard, Mumtaz Qadri of the Punjab
Elite Force, yelled out Allah-o-Akbar
and emptied two magazines of an SMG
on the governor in the Kohsar Market
before surrendering himself.

2014-05-31, 8:51 PM Blasphemy law claims another life - Pakistan - DAWN.COM
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before surrendering himself.
He later explained that he had killed Mr
Taseer because of his recent criticism of
the blasphemy law.
The governor had arrived here in the
morning. After visiting the Presidency
and Information Minister Qamar Zaman
Kaira, late in the afternoon, Mr Taseer,
who was staying with a relative in Sector
F-6/3, went to Kohsar Market which is
home to some of the citys popular
cafes.
He was accompanied by over a dozen
guards, including nine personnel of the
Elite Force.
According to a police ofcer, the gover!
nor went into a restaurant and when he
came out after having a meal Qadri shot
at him.
The guard is said to have red at Mr
Taseer from the back when he was go!
ing to the parking area.
According to police, he emptied his gun,
loaded it with another magazine and
red a second round of 30 bullets at the
governor.
The governor fell on the road and, by
most accounts, died on the spot. The
guard put his gun down on the ground
and was taken into custody.
Kohsar police reached the spot soon af!

2014-05-31, 8:51 PM Blasphemy law claims another life - Pakistan - DAWN.COM
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terwards and took all the guards and the
security squad into custody.
Dawn has learnt that police are search!
ing for a man Mr Taseer had met in the
market. He went missing after the assas!
sination.
The governor was taken to the Federal
Government Services Hospital, but was
pronounced dead. The security squad
was taken to the police station for inter!
rogation.
While questions were raised about why
the rest of the security guards did not
stop Qadri from opening re, they told
police during interrogation that they were
taken by surprise and once they gured
out what was happening they feared that
if they used their guns they too would be
suspected of being involved in the mur!
der.
As the news of the assassination
spread, PPP leaders present in the capi!
tal visited the hospital where the body
was being kept.
Distraught leaders spoke of the loss his
death would bring to the party. Leaders
of other parties, including the PML-N,
also visited the hospital.
For the rest of the evening, the focus re!
mained on the assassination, the reac!
tion to it and the investigation process
being carried out at the Kohsar Market.

2014-05-31, 8:51 PM Blasphemy law claims another life - Pakistan - DAWN.COM
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being carried out at the Kohsar Market.
The quiet corner of Islamabad, which is
often likened by visitors to a European
town square and is frequented by for!
eigners, was crawling with policemen,
journalists and others.
Political activity too came to a halt in the
capital as a deadline announced by
PLM-N leader Nawaz Sharif minutes be!
fore the assassination was forgotten in
the commotion and despair that spread
in the wake of the murder.
Fear was writ large on the faces and
voices of most of the leaders who spoke
to the media about the killing.
INSTIGATED Interior Minister Rehman
Malik was the rst ofcial to conrm that
the governors death was the work of his
own security guard, who had confessed
that he had been instigated by Mr
Taseer recently dubbing the blasphemy
law as a black law.
He was stationed in Rawalpindi and
used to be part of the governors securi!
ty during his visits to Pindi and Islam!
abad. He had been on the governors
guard duty at least three times. His
name is Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri.
It is yet to be determined if this was an
individual act or others were also in!
volved.
The body was later taken to the Pakistan

2014-05-31, 8:51 PM Blasphemy law claims another life - Pakistan - DAWN.COM
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Institute of Medical Sciences for an au!
topsy, which concluded that the governor
had been hit by 40 bullets -- 26 were
lodged in the body and 14 had exited.
After the autopsy, the body was taken to
Lahore for burial from Chakala Air Base
in a C-130 aircraft.
An FIR had not been registered till late in
the night.
AASIA FACTOR Recently a Christian
woman, Aasia Bibi, was sentenced to
death for allegedly committing blasphe!
my. Mr Taseer emerged as one of her
most high-prole supporters.
He not only visited her in jail and held a
press conference with her, but also
promised to get a presidential pardon for
her.
Although the pardon was prevented by a
court order and the PPP distanced itself
from any attempt to amend the blasphe!
my law, Mr Taseer kept criticising it pub!
licly.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari
asked the interior minister to supervise
the investigation.
According to his spokesman Farhatullah
Babar, the president described the as!
sassination as ghastly and said that no
words were strong enough to condemn it
and that the perpetrators of the heinous

2014-05-31, 8:51 PM Blasphemy law claims another life - Pakistan - DAWN.COM
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crime must be punished.
The minister set up a joint investigation
team (JIT) to ascertain whether the as!
sassination was the act of an individual
or the result of a conspiracy.
The JIT, headed by Deputy Inspector-
General of Islamabad Police Bani Amin,
comprises ofcials of Inter-Services In!
telligence, the Intelligence Bureau and
the Special Branch of police.
Following the orders of the president, Mr
Malik arrived here from Karachi and
asked the JIT to present its report in 24
hours.
According to sources, the squad of Elite
Force deputed on Tuesday had been
provided by Rawalpindi police whose se!
curity guards the governor used whenev!
er he came to Islamabad.
As the Pakistan Peoples Party an!
nounced a three-day mourning, the pres!
ident asked its leaders to limit functions
in connection with PPP founder Zulkar
Ali Bhuttos 83rd birth anniversary on
Wednesday to holding seminars at the
district, divisional and provincial levels.
The president asked Sindh Chief Minis!
ter Qaim Ali Shah and MNA Faryal
Talpur to attend the funeral on his behalf.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will
also attend the funeral.

2014-05-31, 8:51 PM Blasphemy law claims another life - Pakistan - DAWN.COM
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In his condolence message President
Zardari described Mr Taseer as en!
dowed with great courage and energy.
He faced the vicissitudes of life with
composure, resilience and courage.