GUJRANWALA, Feb 21: Punjab Social Welfare Minister Zille Huma Usman, who was shot dead by a religious fanatic here on Tuesday, was laid to rest in the Cantonment area graveyard on Wednesday.

A large number of people attended her funeral prayer on the lawns of her bungalow amid tight security. Prominent among them were Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool, Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi, provincial ministers Chaudhry Mohammad Iqbal, Rana Shamshad Ahmad Khan, Raja Basharat, Arshad Lodhi, Hussain Hehanian, Dr Sohail Zafar Cheema, Chaudhry Ashfaq, Zaheeruddin, Punjab Assembly Speaker Afzal Sahi, IGP Ahmad Nasim, Chief Secretary Suleman Sadiq, Corps Commander Anis Ahmad, Senator Chaudhry Mohammad Anwer Bhinder, city district government nazim Fiaz Ahmad Chattha, senior officers of the district and police administration.

Meanwhile, local Anti-Terrorism Court judge Judge Mujahid Mustaqim on Wednesday granted a seven-day physical remand of Maulvi Mohammad Sarwar, the alleged killer of the minister, and ordered police to produce him in the court on Feb 28.

Maulvi Sarwar said in the court that he was waging jihad against anti-Islam activities. He told newsmen that he had already killed four models and injured dozens of people a few years ago because they were promoting obscenity.

He revealed that once he went to kill PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto when she was addressing a public meeting in Wazirabad, but did not succeed because of tight security and the huge crowd.

The court was informed that the civil lines police had registered a murder case against the accused under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

It was stated that the accused had been shifted to the Ghakkhar Town police station where senior police officers were interrogating him.

In a related development, it was reported on Wednesday that the family members of the accused had disappeared from Baghbanpura after locking their homes.

MURDER INVESTIGATION: The Punjab government engaged on Wednesday the Intelligence Bureau (IB) for investigating the murder of the provincial minister.