ISLAMABAD, March 20 (Reuters) - A Pakistani court sentenced an Islamist zealot to death for killing a woman provincial government minister because he believed women should not be in politics, police said. Zil-e-Huma, social welfare minister of the Punjab provincial government and a women's activist, was gunned down at a public meeting in the town of Gujranwala on Feb. 20. Her killing shocked a country inured to a high level of violence against women.

The man who shot her in front of numerous witnesses, Mohammad Sarwar, later told police it was against the teachings of Allah for women to become rulers. He had pleaded not guilty at the start of his month-long trial.

"He heard the sentence quietly and did not make any comment," Muneer Akbar, the police officer who led the investigation, said after an anti-terrorism court handed down the sentence on Tuesday.

Sarwar had been investigated in connection with six previous murders, including the killing of several prostitutes, but had never been convicted because of a lack of evidence.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf espouses a vision of "enlightened moderation" for the predominantly Muslim country of 160 million and has vowed to empower women.

But women, especially in poor, rural areas, are subjected to widespread violence and discrimination. About two thirds of Pakistani women are illiterate.

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