AKIPRESS.COM - Pakistan has hanged the former police bodyguard who shot dead Punjab's governor over his opposition to blasphemy laws, officials say.

Mumtaz Qadri killed Salman Taseer in Islamabad in 2011, a high profile murder that shocked the country, reports BBC.

He was hailed as a hero by some Islamist groups, and thousands of hard-line activists protested to show their support for Qadri at the time.

After news of his execution, crowds again took to the streets in protest.

Security forces have been put on high alert and a heavy police presence, including riot police, are in place in the area around Qadri's home in Islamabad, the AFP news agency reports.

Prison officials said Qadri was executed at 04:30 local time (23:30 GMT) at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, near the capital, Islamabad.