ISLAMABAD Haq Nawaz, the murderer of Shahid Sadeq Ganji, director of the Iranian Cultural Center in Lahore, was executed in the Pakistani city of Mianwali, in the early hours of Wednesday, a PTV report said.

Haq Nawaz was convicted of the killing of Ganji by an anti-terrorism court. His death sentence, on appeal, was affirmed by the Lahore High Court and the Supreme Court.

His lawyers later submitted a petition for review of the sentence with the Supreme Court of Pakistan, but the same was rejected.

He filed a mercy appeal with the president of Pakistan who also turned it down.

Last week, the brother of Haq Nawaz filed an appeal with the Lahore High Court to have his execution delayed for several days so that the family could request the family of the victim to pardon him, but it was also rejected.

Under Pakistani law, punishment of a convict can be waved only by a pardon given by the family of the victim.

Shahid Ganji was murdered by Haq Nawaz on December 19, 1990. Also, one civilian died and 11 were injured when Pakistani police and religious extremists exchanged fire Wednesday during violent protests against the execution of a Sunni prisoner.

This town in central Punjab Province was under virtual police and military siege as the body of Sunni Muslim extremist Haq Nawaz, who was hanged earlier Wednesday for the 1990 murder of an Iranian diplomat, arrived for burial.

"There has been an exchange of fire between protestors and police and several people have been injured," a local police officer told AFP.