TNRM rejects death sentence to Salmaan Taseer's killer

our correspondent
LAHORE: The Tahaffuz-e-Namoos-e-Risalat Mahaz has rejected the death sentence awarded to Mumtaz Hussain Qadri by the Anti-Terrorism Court and demanded immediate reversal of the decision.

Thousands of TNRM activists took to streets in different parts of the Punjab to register their protest against the ATC verdict which sentenced former constable of elite force, Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, to death for killing ex-governor Salman Taseer in January this year.

Other religious parties, condemning the decision, also questioned the silence of the Punjab government over the issue of Mumtaz Qadri, besides demanding the judicial review of the decision.

In Lahore, a large number of religious partiesí activists took out a rally from the Data Darbar Chowk in rejection to the court's decision. Afterwards, a sit-in was held outside the Punjab Assembly, which continued till the filing of the report.

The participants asserted that there could never be any compromise over the issue of Namoos e Risalat and demanded of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry to take suo motu notice of the decision.

Commuters were caught in chaotic traffic jams on the roads leading from The Mall to its arteries for six hours due to the protest rally. The traffic came to a standstill for hours on almost all of the main roads in the city.

Several ambulances carrying patients were stuck up in the traffic jam.

Heavy contingents of police were deployed at the Governor's House, Faisal Chowk, and Regal Chowk to meet any untoward incident.

Commuters said that the traffic police should have devised a diversion plan to facilitate the commuters. They strongly criticised the traffic wardens over absence from many intersections during severe need.

Mohammad Ejaz, a commuter who was stuck in a long traffic queue on The Mall, said, "It seems there is no law in the city today. Are all the traffic wardens on strike?" He said he had to pick up his brother from Garhi Shahu but he had been stuck in the traffic jam for more than an hour.

A bike-rider, Ahmad Shah, said that it had taken him over two hours to reach from the Chowk Safanwala to Qila Gujar Singh.