AFGHAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER SHOT DEAD

KABOL, 6 Jul. (IPS) Haji Abdul Qadir, the Afghan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Public Works, was shot dead Saturday morning in the capital Kabol.

Government officials said two gunmen shot Mr Qadir in the head as he left his ministry.Abdul Haq

"He was attacked by unknown gunmen who approached him in a car. His driver was also killed", one official source told journalists, adding that the killers have escaped.

Correspondents and analysts immediately said the killing of Mr Qadir will heighten concerns over the problems of establishing security in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taleban.

His death follows the killing of the Afghan aviation minister and an assassination attempt on the country's defence minister

He was one of the most powerful men in eastern Afghanistan, and one of the few Pashtoon members of the newly formed transitional government led by Mr. Hamed Karzai.

Mr Qadir was the governor of Jalalabad when the Taleban arrived in the city in 1996 and was thought he had brokered a deal to stay there, but fled when negotiations broke down.

Mr Qadir returned to Jalalabad after the demise of the Taleban to reclaim his governorship.

Qadir's brother, Abdul Haq, was a legendary Mujahideen fighter who was killed by the Taleban. He entered Afghanistan secretly last year while days before the start of American military operations, attempting to promote an uprising against the still ruling Taleban, but was captured and executed by the Taleban.

Mr Qadir was also involved in a controversial crackdown on opium production in the east of the country.

The policy had led to reports of corruption among officials, and clashes with farmers resulting in a several deaths and injuries.

Last April there was an assassination attempt on the country's interim Defence Minister, General Mohammad Qasem Fahim.

Four civilians were killed and more than 50 others injured when a bomb exploded as Mr Fahim's convoy visited the eastern city of Jalalabad.

Last February, the Afghan Civil Aviation Minister, Abdol Rahman, was killed at Kabol airport in controversial circumstances in which other government ministers were implicated. QADIR ASSASSINATED 6702