THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: One of Pakistan's most outspoken politicians was shot dead in Islamabad on Tuesday by one of his own guards in a killing that police are linking to his controversial campaign to reform the country's blasphemy laws.
Witnesses said Salman Taseer, 56, the governor of Punjab province, was killed by a gunman in a police uniform at a small market close to his home in the capital.
His death is the most high-profile political assassination since the murder of Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister, in December 2007.
Last night the government appealed for calm as members of Taseer's Pakistan People's Party staged demonstrations in the Punjab city of Multan.
The country's government is already on the brink of collapse, following the defection of a key coalition ally, and further unrest would deepen the sense of political crisis.
Eyewitnesses said Taseer was a familiar figure at Kohsar Market, an arcade popular with expat aid workers, diplomats and journalists. >>> Rob Crilly, Islamabad | Tuesday, January 04, 2011
