27 June 2004	Sunday	08 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

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LAHORE, June 26: Punjab PML-N vice-president and former provincial minister Pir Binyamin Rizvi was shot dead along with his driver and guard by unknown gunmen near the New Campus bridge here on Saturday.

Police said the 52-year-old politician was coming from the PML-N Secretariat in Garden Town when his car (PG-9152) was intercepted near the Punjab University New Campus by two motorcyclists.

They sprayed bullets on the car, killing Mr Rizvi, his driver Pir Hakeem (40), and guard Naseer (35) on the spot.

Traffic remained suspended on the roads leading to the New Campus bridge for at least half-an-hour following the shooting. Police restored traffic after removing the bodies to the city mortuary.

Mr Rizvi sustained over half-a-dozen bullets, said a doctor.

Pir Binyamin's brother Tariq Shah told Dawn that his brother had been receiving threats from some government officials for the last several days. "They had asked my brother to stay away from active politics," he said.

However, SSP (Investigation) Chaudhry Shafqaat Ahmed said that Mr Rizvi had an old enmity with the family of Azam Chaddar of Mandi Bahauddin. Chaddar was murdered a couple of years ago. His family suspected that Pir Binyamin had some role in the murder, he said.

He said that a police team had been sent to Mandi Bahauddin for the arrest of the suspects.

The funeral prayers will be held at Masjid-i-Shuhada on Sunday here at 10.30am. He will be laid to rest at Phalia.