Hundreds of people staged rallies across the country on Friday demanding the release of Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, a police commando sentenced to death for killing governor Punjab Salman Taseer.
Anti-terror court found Qadri guilty of murder and sentenced him to death.
Qadri confessed to shooting Taseer, a member of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), outside an upmarket coffee shop close to his residence in Islamabad on January 4.
He said he objected to the politician calling the blasphemy law as “Black Law” and amending it. On Thursday he filed an appeal against his death sentence.
About 1,000 people gathered at Islamabad’s main Aabpara intersection demanding Qadri’s release.
The protesters chanted slogans such as “Qadri is hero” and “We salute his courage”. They called for Qadri to be released immediately and shouted: “We are ready to sacrifice our lives for the honour of the Prophet Mohammad.”
Rallies were also held in several other cities including Karachi, Quetta, Multan and Rawalpindi, where witnesses said protesters blocked roads by burning tires.
Religious parties had called for shops and markets to shut down in protest at Qadri’s incarceration, but reports said the call was not heeded, with establishments in most areas remaining open.
Rallies for Qadri’s release
