Pak: Governor's assassin guarded Zardari, Gilani

The police guard who gunned down Punjab Governor Salman Taseer was assigned to protect key personalities, including Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, according to a media report on Thursday.

Self-confessed killer Mumtaz Qadri was detailed on protection duties on as many as 509 occasions in the past three years, including for United States delegations, which are prime targets for terrorists.

The report attributed to police investigations have also cast suspicions that other elite bodyguards may have been radicalised. The media reports said this could be alarming as the police force is part of the frontline in the war against terror groups, specially the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

The report highlights the danger of radicals infiltrating into the security agencies of unstable and nuclear-armed Pakistan. The US has expressed concern about the loyalty of Pakistan's security forces, especially the powerful army, given its publicly known links with terror groups fighting in Afghanistan and Kashmir.

Qadri, who surrendered after gunning down Taseer in a market in Islamabad on January 4, has told the police that he was angered by the governor's criticism of the blasphemy law. Investigators are trying to determine whether Qadri had acted alone or was part of a conspiracy.

Qadri was assigned to protect VIPs and VVIPs on 509 occasions despite being declared a 'security risk' in 2004 due to his extremist leanings, The News daily quoted a report compiled by intelligence agencies as saying.

The policeman was also part of a team that was used by the Military Intelligence and the Inter Services Intelligence to conduct raids against terrorist groups in 2008.

Among the prominent personalities he was assigned to protect were President Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani and Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. He was also part of the security detail for a foreign delegation on two occasions last year.

Qadri had also been part of the security detail for several politicians including Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Pakistan Muslim League chief Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Leader of Opposition in parliament Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

The assassin served as the personal security guard for Taseer on four occasions and also performed general duties with the slain governor on 10 occasions since 2008.

Qadri had been declared unfit for guarding VIPs in August 2004 because of his links with several extremist organisations.

In the aftermath of the assassination of the governor, officials have said that all departments involved in public protection are reviewing security measures and re-screening anyone working with high-profile officials and national leaders.