ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has upheld the death sentence to Mumtaz Qadri, rejecting his appeal against the judgment of Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Mumtaz Qadri assassinated the Former Punjab Governor Salman Taseer on January 4, 2011 at the Kohsar Market in Islamabad because the politician spoke against the country’s blasphemy law.
Later, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) awarded the death penalty to Mumtaz Qadri for killing the governor. Qadri went against the ATC’s verdict in the IHC but his appeal was turned down.
Eventually, Qadri moved to the apex court to receive the judgment in his favour but a three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa on Wednesday (today) upheld Mumtaz Qadri’s death penalty.
Salman Taseer belonged to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and served as the 26th governor of Punjab from May 2008 until his assassination in January 2011.
The governor was killed by his own security guard and personnel of the Punjab Elite Force Mumtaz Qadri. Salman Taseer’s statement against Pakistan’s blasphemy law caused his assassination.
On Monday, more than 90 people including Mufti Hanif Qureshi and Mufti Akbar Hussain were arrested by the police when they were trying to enter the Red Zone area in Islamabad in support of Mumtaz Qadri while his appeal against his death sentence was being heard at the Supreme court.
