Pakistan hangs police commando who killed provincial governor

Pakistan on Monday hanged a security guard who had killed former influential governor of eastern Punjab province in the capital Islamabad in 2011, jail officials said.

Mumtaz Qadri, sprayed bullets at Governor Salman Taseer, at an Islamabad marketplace, where he had gone to take tea at a restaurant. Qadri had claimed the governor had offered blasphemous remarks that had "injured his religious feelings." Lawyers and Taseer family had denied Qadri's claim.

Taseer was the senior leader of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party and close aide of former President Asif Ali Zardari.

Qadri, a police commando at the Punjab Police Department, was sent to the gallows early Monday at Adiala prison in the city of Rawalpindi.

An Anti-Terrorism Court had convicted Qadri, whose conviction was upheld by top judiciary. President Mamnoon Hussain had rejected his mercy petition.

Relatives received Qadri's body outside the jail where security measures were taken in view of possible protest by his supporters.

TV footage showed ambulances were carrying the body of Qadri.

Scores of people protested in parts of Rawalpindi, blocking roads and burning tyres, police said.

In the port city of Karachi, supporters of a religious party, staged demonstrations in the morning, officials said. The police fired tear gas shells and used batons to disperse the protestors. A policeman was injured when the demonstrators threw stones at the police. Enditem