Salman Taseer murder case: Mumtaz Qadri gets death sentence

ISLAMABAD: The anti-terrorism court of Rawalpindi on Saturday found Mumtaz Qadri guilty of murdering and sentenced him to death for killing former governor Punjab Salman Taseer who had urged reform of a blasphemy law, Geo News reported Saturday.

The court during final proceedings said that no one could be given the license to kill someone on any condition. Therefore, the killer cannot be pardoned as he has committed a heinous crime by murdering the former governor.

Mumtaz Qadri has the right to appeal against the verdict in the high court within seven days, his lawyers said.

The case was heard by judge Pervez Ali Shah in Adiala Jail.

Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, one of Taseer's bodyguards, was charged with terrorism and murdering the governor on an Islamabad street on January 4, 2011.

Qadri confessed to killing Taseer, saying he objected to the politician's calls to amend the blasphemy law, which mandates the death penalty for those convicted of defaming the Prophet Mohammad (SAWW).