Islamabad – Pakistan on Monday hanged the assassin of a governor who sought reform of the country’s blasphemy law, officials and supporters told AFP, saying Mumtaz Qadri — feted as a hero by Islamist supporters — had been executed at a prison in Rawalpindi.
“I can confirm that Qadri was hanged in Adialia jail early Monday morning,” senior local police official Sajjid Gondal told AFP.
A prison official confirmed the execution of Qadri, a former police bodyguard who killed liberal Punjab governor Salman Taseer in 2011.
Around 50 Rangers and police in riot gear as well as ambulances and dozens of police vehicles were stationed outside Qadri’s home in the city early Monday, an AFP reporter there said, blocking the street and refusing to allow people to enter.
Armed Rangers could be seen stationed on the roof of the building housing Qadri’s residence and some roads in the neighbourhood were closed.
Cries were heard from inside the house as around 20 people gathered, apparently family members, and mosques could be heard broadcasting news of the execution.
“We have beefed up security in Rawalpindi to maintain law and order and to deal with any untoward situation,” Gondal said.
He said the hanging took place after a final meeting between Qadri and his family late Sunday, and that the body had been sent to his relatives.
Qadri shot Taseer 28 times in broad daylight in an upscale market in the capital Islamabad.
He later admitted the killing, saying he objected to the politician’s calls to reform Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws.
Taseer had also been vocal in his support of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who has been on death row since 2010 after being found guilty of insulting the Prophet Mohammed.
Qadri lost a petition for the Supreme Court to review his sentence in December last year.
The decision came after the court warned in October that in Islam a false accusation can be as serious as the blasphemy itself, and that calls for blasphemy law reform “ought not to be mistaken as a call for doing away with that law”.
Rumours started pouring in earlier today as his supporters started Twitter trend to call for protest against his expected hanging.
The protests have erupted in Hyderabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi and Lahore after the announcement by leaders of the movement to free Mumtaz Qadri.
Twitter is abuzz with opinions from journalists and experts who while commending the move, fear consequences.
Agree or disagree with the death penalty, the state has taken a bold stance and it will face backlash by those bent upon eroding its writ.
— Ayesha Ijaz Khan (@ayeshaijazkhan) February 29, 2016
We may not believe in death penalty but #MumtazQadri sure did. Finally some closure for the #Taseer family#Pakistan https://t.co/ta4hYtqzOq
— Mohammad Taqi (@mazdaki) February 29, 2016
Security has been beefed up in the whole country as protests are growing violent at few places.
On the way to #Islamabad airport people r protesting with sticks in their hands, burning Tyres & hitting cars.. @ICT_Police plz help!
— meena gabeena (@gabeeno) February 29, 2016
If the state is determined it can certainly handle the situation.Lets hope Pak media behaves in a responsible manner https://t.co/3KGNYjri31
— Raza Ahmad Rumi (@Razarumi) February 29, 2016
Supporters of Mumtaz Qadri have blocked Shahdra Chowk in Lahore to protest his execution. In Rawalpindi, the police was put on a highalert earlier in the night. “We have orders to strictly monitor the activities following the execution of Mumtaz Qadri,” a source informed The Nation.
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