The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday recorded the statement of an eyewitness of the assassination of former Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer. ATC Judge Pervez Ali Shah recorded the statement of an eyewitness, Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Nadeem Asif. The hearing held at Adiyala Jail was adjourned till July 16.
The defence lawyer, Shuja Rehman, giving arguments, said Mumtaz Qadri, the killer of Salman Taseer, had performed duty with other VVIPs; his past was untainted as he never got involved in such acts, so the killing of Taseer should not be considered a security lapse. He added the court had so far recorded the statement of 16 eyewitnesses while the statements of 24 other eyewitnesses would be recorded during the next hearing. Meanwhile, scores of activists of Shabab-e-Islami and Sunni Tehrik staged a demonstration outside the Adiyala Jail for the release of Mumtaz Qadri. They chanted slogans in favour of the accused.