Salmaan Taseer assassinated

The attacker was in Rawalpindi's elite force and part of the Governor's convoy. Suspect under arrest.


Express January 04, 2011

ISLAMABAD: Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer was attacked and killed in a firing incident in Islamabad's Kohsar market on Tuesday.

The late governor was shot in Kohsar Market by one of his security guards, an elite force personnel, who has been identified as Malik Mumtaz Hussain.

A spokesperson of the Polyclinic Hospital confirmed that the governor had been hit by 25 bullets, while witnesses at the site said that he had died on the spot.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik revealed that the arrested man had admitted to the murder and ruled out inadequate security as a possible cause of the attack.

The federal government has announced a three day mourning period.

The funeral will be held at the Governor’s House tomorrow (Wednesday).

End of live updates

8:30pm

Government of Punjab announces public holiday tomorrow (Wednesday).

PPP leader Raja Riaz will be making arrangements for the funeral to be held at Governor's House.

7:25pm

Protests are being taken out in different parts of Punjab.

A three member panel has been formed to perform Taseer's autopsy.

Registrar Lahore High Court has announced that all courts in Punjab will remain closed tomorrow.

6:55pm

President Asif Ali Zardari has strongly condemned the assassination of Governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer today and directed the Interior Minister Rehman Malik to personally supervise the investigations and report to him urgently.

Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar said that President was informed about the tragic assassination during a meeting of the PPP MPAs of four districts in the Bilawal House after which all the meetings scheduled for today were postponed to a later date.

The President also directed the Party leadership that the birthday functions in connection with Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s 83rd birth anniversary on Wednesday be limited only to holding of seminars at district, divisional and provincial levels without fanfare and without cake cutting ceremonies. Quran Khwani for Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Salmaan Taseer will also be held on Wednesday as part of the birth anniversary functions of Party’s founding Chairman, he said.

The President also asked the Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and MNA Faryal Talpur to participate in the funeral on his behalf. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will also participate in the funeral.

6:10pm

Interior Minister Rehman Malik says the first point of investigation will be to find out whether the suspect Qadri carried out the attack as part of a larger plot or on his own.

Malik confirmed the suspect, Qadri is twenty six-years-old.
In life, Salmaan Taseer was never afraid of controversy and was never one to remain silent even when his stance on issues like militancy and the blasphemy law brought the venom of the right wing pouring on to him. Zarrar Khuhro

5:55pm

Government announced three day country-wide mourning period.

Chief Minister Punjab, Shahbaz sharif has arrived at the hospital.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik says investigation has been ordered into how the assassin Qadri was selected for the security of the governor.

5:40pm

Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that all personnel of the governor's security convoy have been arrested.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has announced a two week mourning period. All functions of the party have been postponed.

5:30pm

All VIP functions are under threat says Interior Minister Rehman Malik, adding that, "our colleagues criticise us when we increase vip security".

Governor Taseer was killed to destabilise Pakistan say MQM Chief Altaf Hussain.

One of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer's last tweets online:
Mera azm itna bulund hae Parae sholon se dar nahin. Mujhe dar hae tu atish e gul se hae Ye kahin chaman ko jala na dein

5:25pm

According to Syed Ali reporting for Express 24/7, the arrival of a huge crowd of people to Polyclinic is causing chaos at the hospital and preventing Governor Punjab's body from being moved to PIMS for a post-mortem.

5:15pm

The name of the guard who carried out the attack has been confirmed as Mumtaz Qadri.

Saba Imtiaz: According to Rehman Malik, Salmaan Taseer's guard shot him because he called the blasphemy laws a 'kala qanoon'.

5:10pm

Interior Minister Rehman Malik will head the enquiry into Governor Punjab's assassination.

Karachi has been put on high alert after the attack.

5:06pm

Syed Ali reporting for Express 24/7 confirmed that Governor Punjab has been pronounced dead. Initial reports suggest Taseer received a critical injury in his neck.

5:03pm

The Governor of Punjab was leaving his residence in Islamabad when one of his guards shot him in the chest.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani have condoled over the death of the Punjab Governor.

An eyewitness, while speaking to the police, has provided his account of how the gunman aimed at Taseer and shot him.

5:00pm

The alleged suspect 'Qadri' was allegedly part of Rawalpindi's elite force, Express 24/7 reported.

The suspect is being held and interrogated by Rawalpindi police.

4:50pm

The hospital says the Governor received nine bullets.

4:48pm

Attackers were part of the governor's convoy, witnesses say.

4:46pm

Police source say they have arrested a suspect in the attack.

Zulfiqar Mirza, Sindh Home Minister Qaim Ali Shah, as well as Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) Shahbaz Sharif and Nawaz Sharif condemned the attack.

4:30pm

The governor died on the spot, according to governor house spokesman Farrukh Shah.

According to initial reports, unidentified persons fired upon the governor's convoy and he was shifted to the Polyclinic hospital for treatment.

Witnesses said that two uniformed personnel attacked him.

COMMENTS (214)

Khalid Butt | 13 years ago | Reply Miss Neha, your pracise on religion is your personal metter. Mr jinah was not Prophit if he was secular then he must lier because he gathered Muslims in the name of Islam. Ahmadi declared non Muslim in bhutto 's govt not before. we respect jinah 's soul but not preffer than Prophit (PBUH) 's soul. do u think about ? ? ? ?
Neha Khan | 13 years ago | Reply @ Salman... Jinnah was definitely secular. And for ignorants let me clarify that being secular does not mean being an atheist or a non-Muslim. I for one pray five times a day, give zakat, have done Hajj, fast during Ramazan and at times otherwise too, but consider myself secular. Secular means someone who respects all religions and does not discriminate on the basis of religion. If you need examples for Jinnah being an enlightened secular man just think that his first Law minister was a Hindu and the first person he nominated to represent Pakistan in the UN was an Ahmedi. For heaven's sake, stop torturing the soul of the Quaid-i-Azam. He have aggrieved him enough already and it is time we say sorry to him and mend our ways by making Pakistan what he wanted it to be... not the one envisioned by the Mullah and people like Mumtaz Qadri.
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