High-profile case: IHC hears Mumtaz Qadri’s appeal after three years

Court irked by govt reluctance to pursue the case as law officers seek adjournment.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday expressed annoyance over the government’s reluctance to pursue Malik Mumtaz Qadri’s case, as the government law officers were not prepared to argue and sought more time.

The IHC bench – comprising Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi and Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui – was hearing an appeal filed by Qadri on October 6, 2011 against the death sentence awarded to him by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Rawalpindi.

Qadri, a constable in the Punjab Police and a member of its Elite Force, assassinated the then governor of Punjab Salmaan Taseer.



On Tuesday, when the IHC bench took up the matter after more than three years, the government’s standing counsel, Jahangir Khan Jadoon, said he had not yet received instructions from the federal government to argue the case and requested the court to issue notices in this regard.

However, the court expressed its resentment and said that the court had already issued notice to the state, and it was the responsibility of the government to depute a law officer.

Islamabad’s Advocate General (AG) Mian Abdur Rauf also appeared before the court and sought two-week time for arguing the case. The court, however, turned down the request and gave him only one week to prepare his arguments.

The bench said it must dispel the impression that prosecution was under pressure due to the fear connected with the case. “Courts are blamed for delaying cases, which is unfair but we are ready to hear the case on a daily basis,” observed Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui.

Representing Qadri, former Lahore High Court (LHC) chief justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif opposed the adjournment and said the hearing of the case was already delayed and fixed after three years.

“The matter is fixed after the hue and cry over terrorism in the country,” said the petitioner’s counsel. He requested the court to give a short date. Later the bench adjourned the hearing till February 3.

During the proceedings, activists of Sunni Ittehad Council assembled outside the court to express solidarity with Qadri.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2015.