Pak minister’s bodyguard dies

A policeman who was wounded in an attack on Pakistan’s Religious Affairs Minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi here last week, succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday.

Police commando Muhammad Ashraf had been struggling for life after being hit by five bullets when two gunmen attempted to assassinate Mr. Kazmi in the heart of Islamabad on September 2.

He died at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences here, officials said.

Ashraf protected the minister by shooting back at the assailants, who escaped after the attack. Kazmi’s driver was also killed in the attack.

Mr. Kazmi, a vocal critic of the Taliban, was also injured in the attack