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| Salman Taseer murder: Pakistan hangs Mumtaz Qadri | Salman Taseer murder: Pakistan hangs Mumtaz Qadri |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Pakistan has hanged the former police bodyguard who shot dead Punjab's governor over his opposition to blasphemy laws, officials say. | Pakistan has hanged the former police bodyguard who shot dead Punjab's governor over his opposition to blasphemy laws, officials say. |
| Mumtaz Qadri shot dead Salman Taseer in Islamabad in 2011, a high profile murder that shocked the country. | Mumtaz Qadri shot dead Salman Taseer in Islamabad in 2011, a high profile murder that shocked the country. |
| But he was hailed as a hero by some Islamist groups and thousands of hardline activists protested to show their support for Qadri at the time. | But he was hailed as a hero by some Islamist groups and thousands of hardline activists protested to show their support for Qadri at the time. |
| Security forces have been put on alert following the execution. | Security forces have been put on alert following the execution. |
| Just hours after the hanging, angry supporters took to the streets to denounce the execution, reports the BBC's Shahzeb Jillani in Pakistan. | Just hours after the hanging, angry supporters took to the streets to denounce the execution, reports the BBC's Shahzeb Jillani in Pakistan. |
| Prison officials said Qadri was hanged at 0435 local time at Adiala jail near the capital Islamabad. | Prison officials said Qadri was hanged at 0435 local time at Adiala jail near the capital Islamabad. |
| 'Religious duty' | |
| Qadri, who had trained as an elite police commando and was assigned to Taseer as his bodyguard, shot the politician in broad daylight at an Islamabad market in January 2011. | |
| He later claimed that it was his religious duty to kill Taseer, who was an outspoken critic of the harsh blasphemy law and sought liberal reforms for the legislation. | |
| The case rocked Pakistan which has seen Islamist groups grow in influence in recent years. | |
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