ISLAMABAD – “I killed the governor because he was supporting a blasphemer and demanding the repeal of blasphemy laws,” said Mumtaz Qadri, the man who killed Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer on Tuesday
His images aired on the TV channels soon after the incident, showing him calm and composed, satisfied with the act he just carried out. Qadri, a police constable deputed with the governor as part of his security team, was born on January 1, 1985, and joined the Punjab Police in 2003. He applied for joining the Punjab Elite Force in 2007 and got the call to join the force in 2008.
Qadri is said to be a religious person. He offers his prayers five times a day and used to recite naats in praise of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) during his training at the Elite Force training centre. He is a resident of Muslim Town, Rawalpindi, and belongs to a lower middle-class family.
Qadri has four brothers, who were also taken into custody by police after Taseer’s the assassination. He fired at the governor using his official gun, which has also been taken into possession by police. Qadri’s act has spurred various debates. He already has a fan page on Facebook and some are glorifying him as another Ghazi Ilm Din.
There is also an intriguing aspect to the whole incident. According to Interior Minister Rehman Malik and other police officials, Qadri told police in his confession that he decided to kill the governor on Tuesday morning. The statement matches police’s claim that Qadri was deputed with the governor the same day.
XARI JALIL ADDS FROM LAHORE: At least two Facebook pages by name of the assassin ‘Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri’ have popped up with an increasing number of fans. Within half an hour of the governor’s murder, at least 300 people had joined one.
At the filing of this report, over 2,500 ‘Likes’ flooded the first page, while the second one is increasing fast enough with about 70 fans. Another page, ‘Justice for the Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri’, asking the Supreme Court of Pakistan to free the assassin has also been created on the Facebook.
While the country’s black condition is spreading slowly outside the digital world, statements on the Facebook pages lie in favour of the killing of the governor, stating that the man deserved to die as he violated the respect and dignity of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). “We r proud of u MALIK HUSSAIN QADRI …….. May ALLAH bless u !!” says one user.
“This is a true Muslim!!” says another. Only a couple of people have posted against the encouragement of a murderer, stating that ‘a secular Pakistan’ was the need the day and that no one had any right to kill anyone. “He stood against blasphemy law and he did not deserve this,” says one user. A debate has sparked over the site and a larger online uproar is expected on all social networking sites.
