Taseer’s murderer Qadri won’t be judged by military court, says IHC

• Two-judge bench says case cannot be sent to military trial courts as it was in appeal stage now
• More than 50 lawyers, including former LHC CJ Khawaja Sharif, appear in court for Qadri’s defence
• Qadri’s counsel says out of 43 witnesses, 14 had been presented in court while 29 remain missing

A division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) hearing an appeal against death sentence of a former police bodyguard convicted for the 2011 murder of former Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer who had sought reform of blasphemy laws, on Tuesday said the case will not be referred to a military court.

As the IHC heard the appeal of Mumtaz Qadri, a large number of his supporters, including lawyers and workers of religio-political Pakistan Sunni Tehreek, rallied outside the court, demanding his release.

The court said that since the case was in appeal stage, it cannot be sent to the military courts which are trial courts.

Former chief justice of Lahore High Court Khawaja Sharif, who is among the defence team comprising 50 Islamist lawyers, said that there were news in media that Qadri’s case would be sent to newly set up military court.

“A media trial is being conducted against us and people are talking about transferring the case to military courts,” said Sharif.

A two-member bench of the IHC comprising Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi and Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui re-issued a notice to Taseer’s legal team, which was absent during the hearing.

Qadri’s counsel told the court that out of the 43 witnesses, 14 had been presented and 29 remain missing.

Advocate General for Islamabad Mian Abdul Rauf told the court that notices were issued to Taseer’s legal heirs. He further asked the court to follow up on the implementation of the notices.

Justice Noorul Haq in his response said that although the notices had been issued, if nobody appears before the court, they could not be forced to.

The next hearing is fixed for Wednesday (today) but the case may be adjourned as the case file having evidence against Qadri mysteriously disappeared last week and the court official are trying to reconstruct it with the help of record available with police.

The defence team is expected to present arguments against the conviction of Qadri who was given death sentence by an anti-terror court for killing Taseer outside an upmarket coffee shop in Islamabad in 2011.

Qadri has admitted shooting Taseer, saying he objected to the politician’s calls to reform strict blasphemy laws which can carry the death penalty.

Qadri was garlanded by right-wing lawyers, including Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, after he was brought to court soon after he had killed the governor.

The same Siddiqui was later appointed as a judge and now he is hearing Qadri’s appeal against his conviction.

After Qadri was convicted in 2011, dozens of furious lawyers ransacked the courtroom of the judge who had sentenced him to death.

QADRI’S SUPPORTERS CALL FOR RELEASE:

Meanwhile, around 300 of Qadri’s supporters chanted slogans calling for his release outside the IHC.

Protesters wearing shirts with the logo of Pakistan Sunni Tehreek shouted “The lock of the prison will break, Qadri will be released!” and “Be ashamed, release Qadri!”

Malik Muhammad Safeer, Qadri’s brother, urged his release.

“My brother has done nothing wrong. He is happy and satisfied in the prison and always prays to God. Salman Taseer was killed because he committed blasphemy,” he told reporters.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif lifted a moratorium on executions in terror cases in December after Taliban gunmen massacred 150 people at an army-run school in Peshawar.

But executing someone convicted of murdering a “blasphemer” would risk a backlash from hardline religious groups and even more moderate public opinion.