Pak: Governor's assassin gets garland, kiss

The Pakistani police on Wednesday charged the policeman who assassinated Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer with murder and terrorism even as he appeared to be unrepentant for his actions.

Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, the Elite Force personnel who gunned down Taseer in a market in Islamabad on Tuesday, was booked under the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Qadri was presented before Judicial Magistrate Malik Naeem Shaukat, who granted transit custody to police for a day. He will be produced in an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi on Thursday, officials said.

The assassin was brought to the court complex in Islamabad in an armoured vehicle amidst tight security. The vehicle drove up almost to the entrance of the courtroom and Qadri, his face covered by a black mask, was taken inside by several policemen. Despite the strict security arrangements, several persons, including lawyers, went up to Qadri as he emerged from the courtroom and congratulated him for his actions.

One person placed a garland of roses around Qadri's neck while another kissed him. As the policemen tried to push Qadri into the armoured vehicle, he resisted and shouted, "We are ready to sacrifice our life for the prestige of Prophet Mohammed."

He also defiantly shouted 'Allah-o-Akbar' several times before policemen bundled him into the vehicle.

Earlier, footage on television had shown a smiling Qadri a few hours after the assassination, claiming that he had killed the outspoken governor for criticising the blasphemy law. Qadri said the punishment for insulting the prophet was death and that he was 'proud' to have killed a 'blasphemer'.