Pakistan on alert as Salmaan Taseer's killer hanged

ISLAMABAD: Officials stepped up security in the garrison city of Rawalpindi as hundreds of people began gathering at Mumtaz Qadri's family home early Monday, and some roads were closed in Islamabad as authorities braced for protests from hardliners.

Qadri, a former police bodyguard, shot liberal Punjab governor Salman Taseer 28 times in an upscale market in Islamabad in 2011.



He later admitted the killing, saying he objected to the politician's calls to reform controversial blasphemy laws -- a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan.

"Qadri was hanged in Adiala jail early Monday morning" in Rawalpindi, senior local police official Sajjid Gondal told AFP.

Protesters outside Mumtaz Qadri's house PHOTO: Mudassir Raja/ Express

Qadri's body was being displayed to supporters at his family's home in the city, where Rangers and police in riot gear as well as ambulances and dozens of police vehicles were stationed, an AFP reporter there said.

Armed Rangers could also be seen on the roof of the building housing Qadri's residence, while authorities blocked some roads in the neighbourhood.

Here are the updates on street protests in different cities across the country:

Islamabad 

Protesters briefly blocked the main road between Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Monday after news of the hanging broke. Police later dispersed them and closed off the road to prevent more demonstrations.

Riot policemen watch as supporters of former police bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri burn tires during a protest against Qadri's execution in Islamabad on February 29, 2016.

Chaudhry predicted larger demonstrations coinciding with Qadri's funeral, which his legal group said would be held on Tuesday. "From what we are seeing, this protest movement is only going to increase," he said.

Lahore

In Lahore, supporters and workers of religious parties blocked Sagyan Bridge, Ravi Bridge and Old Ravi Bridge to protest the execution.

Ravi Bridge is an entrance point to Lahore for traffic coming from Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat and other cities on the GT Road.

Further, Shahdra Mor and Thokar Naiz Baig entry and exit points have also been blocked for all kinds of traffic. The citizens are forced to travel on foot as scores of protesters are blocking traffic at the entry and exit points of the provincial capital.

A riot policeman chases supporters of former police bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri as they protest against Qadri's execution in Islamabad on February 29, 2016. PHOTO: AFP

Meanwhile, dozens of trucks and trailers have blocked the GT Road near Shahdara and protesters carrying sticks are not allowing anybody to move forward.

“We are doing this in protest against hanging of Mumtaz Qadri,” said a protestor who introduced himself as Muhammad Abdullah.

“I had an appointment with the doctor for check-up at Mayo Hospital. It takes some 20 minutes from Shahdara to Mayo Hospital in normal days but I am standing here for last 2 hours. They are not letting anybody go forward,” said Sajjad Ali, a commuter.

Peshawar

In Peshawar, several political and religious parties have announced protests and rallies against Qadri’s execution.

Protest demonstrations are being staged on Khyber Road in Peshawar, causing worst traffic gridlock in the city.

Supporters of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan religious party protest against the hanging of Mumtaz Qadri during a demonstration in Peshawar, Pakistan February 29, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS

Workers of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) are protesting outside Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Amir Sirajul Haq has also announced protest demonstrations in all districts of K-P.

Karachi

In Karachi, some petrol stations were closed after Qadri supporters ordered them shut.

"I have no regrets," Qadri's brother Malik Abid told AFP, tears rolling down his cheeks, while women chanted poetry nearby.



He said the family had been called to the prison Sunday evening by officials who said Qadri was unwell.

Supporters of former police bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri shout slogans as they march during a protest against Qadri's execution in Islamabad on February 29, 2016. PHOTO: AFP

But when they arrived, he greeted them with the news that authorities had deceived them, and that his execution was imminent.

"We started crying, but he hugged us and chanted 'God is great,'" Abid said.

"We have beefed up security in Rawalpindi to maintain law and order and to deal with any untoward situation," Gondal said.

The head of the Islamabad Bar Council called for a day-long strike of lawyers in protest against the hanging. "Qadri was hanged at around 4:30 am," senior police officer Rizwan Omar Gondal said.

PHOTO: AFP

Qadri's attorney said his client told him he had no regrets for killing the governor. "I have met him twice in jail. He said that even if Allah gave me 50 million lives, I would still sacrifice all of them," lawyer Ghulam Mustafa Chaudhry said.

Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan, an Islamic republic of some 200 million, and Qadri has been hailed as a hero by many conservatives eager to drown out any calls to soften the legislation.

Critics including European governments say Pakistan's blasphemy laws are largely misused, with hundreds of people languishing in jails under false charges.

Riot policemen stand guard as supporters of former police bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri protest against Qadri's execution on a highway in Islamabad on February 29, 2016. PHOTO: AFP

Taseer had also been vocal in his support of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who has been on death row since 2010 after being found guilty of insulting the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh).

Qadri's lawyers drew on Islamic texts to argue that he was justified in killing Taseer, saying that by criticising the law the politician was himself guilty of blasphemy -- an argument rejected by the lead judge.

Qadri lost a petition for the Supreme Court to review his sentence in December last year.

Residents cross a bridge blocked by supporters of former police bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri during a protest against Qadri's execution in Islamabad on February 29, 2016. PHOTO: AFP

The decision came after the court warned in October that in Islam a false accusation can be as serious as the blasphemy itself, and that calls for blasphemy law reform "ought not to be mistaken as a call for doing away with that law".

The court's decision to uphold the sentence sparked rallies in which Islamist groups said that if Qadri were executed those responsible should also be put to death.