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People in Pakistan have been emailing the ���˿��� with their reaction to the assassination of the influential governor of Pakistan's Punjab province, Salman Taseer.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the bodyguard who shot Mr Taseer said he had done so because of the governor's opposition to Pakistan's blasphemy law.

Below is a selection of comments emailed to the ���˿���.

Your comments

The governor's assassination comes as a shock. Even moderate Muslims know that his statement on the blasphemy law wasn't appropriate. Religion is a very sensitive issue in our part of the world. We all remember how angered the Muslim world got about the blasphemous caricatures in a Danish newspaper. Rehman, Karachi, Pakistan

Islamabad is in lockdown as people prepare for the backlash to the assassination of the governor. Already the streets are empty, shops and markets have closed and there lots of police vehicles racing around the city. Saj Malik, Islamabad Pakistan

The concern for most of the residents here is their own security - people worry about any possible backlash after his assassination. He was a notorious and hated person. Junaid, Lahore, Pakistan

I am an orthodox Sunni Muslim and politically I support the PML-N [Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz] which means I didn't like late governor. But I also condemn his assassination because it is religiously and morally a sin. He just expressed his views about blasphemy law - which is not a divine law. It is a man-made law and man-made things can't be perfect. Muhammad Ramzan, Sargodha

Although the common perception is that Mr Taseer was assassinated for his outspoken views on the blasphemy law in Pakistan, it would be very short-sighted to assume that a lone gunman decided to execute him for this reason alone. It is much more likely that he was assassinated for more wide-scale political reasons. Nameer Rehman, Karachi, Pakistan

The killing of the governor is an alarming incident. It will have serious implications in political circles. At the moment, it provides an escape for the ruling party from lurking danger of dismissal. However, it should be noted that any person who dares to go against general public sentiments may have to face this kind of fate. The issue of blasphemy is very serious and needs to be resolved within the ambit of legal means. Nadi Yousafzai, Peshawar, Pakistan

I am shocked and speechless. Mr Taseer was a brave man who stood openly against terrorism and the blasphemy law which ultimately lead to his death by his own fundamentalist guard. Taseer's brutal murder also shows how security agencies have been penetrated by extremists in Pakistan. There is little hope to reverse this pattern. Akhtar Rind, Hyderabad, Pakistan

I am truly sorry for this tragic incident. The governor not only proposed amendments but also stood up against the cruelty of the law calling it "black law" in Urdu meaning "dark law" in the language's context. This event has revealed the inefficiency of security forces and brought to the attention of the world the social prejudice present inside Pakistan. The international community should hence look into the solutions to solving the society's problems in such countries through introducing human development measures such as education. Shahmeer Naveed Arshad, Lahore, Pakistan