Latif Khosa succeeds Salman Taseer as Punjab governor

Senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Latif Khan Khosa today took oath as governor of the country's most populous and politically crucial province of Punjab, succeeding the slain Salmaan Taseer.

Khosa was sworn in by Lahore high court Chief Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry during a ceremony held at the governor's house this evening.

He became the 33rd governor of Punjab since independence from British rule.

President Asif Ali Zardari appointed Khosa the governor following the assassination of Taseer.

Taseer was gunned down in Islamabad on January 4 by a police guard who said he was angered by the governor's criticism of the blasphemy law.

Khosa's oath-taking ceremony was attended by Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, federal information minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, PPP secretary general Jahangir Badr, Punjab assembly speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal, other PPP leaders and parliamentarians.

PPP workers who attended the ceremony held in the Darbar Hall of governor's house shouted slogans like "Naara-e-Bhutto", "Jiye Bhutto" and "Zinda hai Bibi zinda hai" as a tribute to slain PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in 2007.