Saudi ambassador to UK voted MENA diplomat of 2025    Saudi Awwal Bank signs SR2 billion credit facility with Saudi Binladin Group to propel development of King Fahd Sports City in Riyadh    Feast of Flavors and Prizes: LuLu Hypermarket kicks off the "World Food Festival" across Saudi Arabia    Pakistan closes airspace, suspends visaas in tit-for-tat measures against India    Saudia Group signs deal with Airbus for flyadeal's first wide-body aircraft    Saudi non-oil exports surge 14.3 percent to SR26.11bn in February    Saudi, Greek ministers co-chair inaugural meeting of Strategic Culture Committee    Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 26, Palestinian officials say    Trump's trade war olive branch met with derision and mistrust inside China    Ministry of Justice launches centralized court model to enhance judicial efficiency    Kyiv hit by deadly Russian missile and drone attack    Saudi Arabia elected chair of Asia region of World Meteorological Organization    Saudi Theater Commission launches its Work and Learn Project in UK    The season has begun — and one comment shook us all    Jennifer Lopez dazzles in Jeddah with a Formula 1 performance    Saudi Arabia open to expanded 64-team World Cup in 2034, says sports minister    Average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia rises to78.8 years    Super Max Verstappen scorches to pole with record lap in Jeddah    Film Commission launches 'Cinema' initiative to enhance content    Famed Philippine film star Nora Aunor dies at 71    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Pakistan charges Taseer's killer in blasphemy case
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 15 - 02 - 2011


Rights activists hail indictment
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court charged a police guard Monday with the murder of a politician who opposed the country's anti-blasphemy laws, a killing that exposed deep fissures in Pakistani society.
Mumtaz Qadri, who admitted to killing Punjab governor Salman Taseer on Jan. 4, gained wide support, especially from extremists who see liberal politicians such as Taseer as straying from Pakistan's Islamist credentials.
“The charges have been framed against Qadri and the prosecution has been asked by the court to present evidence in the next hearing,” the prosecutor, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.
Taseer, who was close to President Asif Ali Zardari, had championed the cause of a Christian woman sentenced to death under the blasphemy law.
Critics say the law has often been misused against Pakistan's tiny religious minorities and to settle personal scores. Taseer had sought changes to the law, angering hardline Islamist groups.
After Qadri pumped 27 bullets into Taseer in broad daylight at an Islamabad shopping centre, he was viewed as a hero by many Pakistanis, highlighting how deeply religious extremism has penetrated mainstream Pakistani society.
Qadri's lawyer, Tariq Dhamial, quoted him as saying in court before the charges were read: “I have taught a lesson to the apostate Salman Taseer”.
How the case unfolds in Pakistan, a US ally fighting Taliban insurgents which is seen as vital in the war on militancy, will be closely watched by the United States and other Western countries.
Since the killing, thousands of people have rallied in support of Qadri, demanding his release.
Another lawyer for Qadri said a large number of people, including university students, gathered outside the main prison in the city of Rawalpindi, where his closed hearing was held.
Some held placards which read “Happy Valentine's Day to Mumtaz Qadri”. Others brought flowers. The guards refused to deliver them to Qadri.
More than 500 lawyers have offered to defend Qadri for free.
Some Western nations accuse Zardari's government of being too soft on extremism, one of many destabilizing forces in nuclear-armed Pakistan.
Pakistani rights activists hailed Qadri's indictment.
“Qadri's statement is a complete confession of an uncondonable and brutal murder,” human rights campaigner and former law minister, Iqbal Haider said, “All sane people will appreciate this indictment.
But the leader of a party defended the 25-year-old Qadri, who belonged to an elite police force charged with fighting terrorism and protecting VIPs.
“He (Taseer) himself was responsible for his killing as he had hurt the religious sentiments and feelings of the whole nation by terming the blasphemy law as a ‘black law',” Tariq Mehboob, deputy secretary general of Jamiat Ulema-e


Clic here to read the story from its source.