Pakistani governor assassinated by own guard

Police in Pakistan say the governor of Punjab province, Salman Taseer,was assassinated by his own bodyguardTuesday in an Islamabad market.

Taseer's deathis being called the highest-profile political assassination since the death of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in December 2007.

Police official Mohammad Iftikhar said Taseer was shot byone of his elite protection squad in an area known as Khosar market, where he apparently went to meet someone for a meal.

Shaukat Kayani, a doctor at Poly Clinic Hospital, said the governor was shot 26 times.

Taseer was a member of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party and was closely tied to President Asif Ali Zardari,who was Bhutto's husband.

Taseer was alsoa vocal member of Pakistan's ruling party and has spoken outagainst Pakistan's blasphemy law.

Recently, Taseercalled for Asia Bibi to be pardoned. Bibi is a Christian woman who has been sentenced to deathfor allegedly insultingthe Prophet Muhammad.

Shahbaz Bhatti,Pakistan's minister for minorities, said Taseer had received death threats for his statements about Bibi.

Iftikhar said the gunman, who was identifiedas 26-year-old Mumtaz Qadri,was taken into custody.

An intelligence official who interrogated Qadri told The Associated Press that the gunman had claimed he was proud he killed a blasphemer.

Officials are investigating how Qadri ended up in Taseer's security detail.