Taliban assassinate key Pakistani politician

Pakistani politician, Bashir Ahmad Bilour, a senior minister in the northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, was killed by Taliban assassins yesterday (22nd) say foreign reports.
Mr. Bilour had a national reputation as one of the most vocal critics of the militants. He was long on the target list of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella organization of the Pakistani militant groups, and survived at least two previous assassination attacks.

At least eight other people were killed in the attack, and more than 15 others were wounded, senior government officials and doctors at a local hospital said.
Mr. Bilour’s assassination sent shockwaves through the country’s political circles; President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf expressed shock, with Mr. Ashraf terming Mr. Bilour’s death “a national loss.” The country’s leaders announced a national day of mourning.