KARACHI: Speakers at a religious conference on Sunday demanded a fresh trial of Mumtaz Qadri by the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) as they believed that the death sentence handed down to the killer of former Punjab governor Salman Taseer was ‘un-Islamic’.

The demand was made at the Labaik Ya Rasoolullah Conference organised by Tan­z­eemat Ahle Sunnat Pakistan here at the Nistar Park.

Scores of people attended the programme amid strict security arrangements. They were holding green flags and portraits of Mumtaz Qadri and shouting slogans in favour of him.

Referring to his sentence, the speakers said that the Islamabad High Court had dropped the terrorism charge from his case but the government filed an appeal before the Supreme Court for incorporating the relevant section of the Anti-Terrorism Act in the case.

They said that instead of referring the case to the Council of Islamic Ideology or the FSC a guilty verdict was announced that “provoked the emotions of millions of Muslims”.

Demanding a new trial, the speakers warned that the people could go to any extent if the government failed to change its attitude.

They also demanded a referendum on the issue.

Shah Turabul Haq, the chief of Jamaat-i-Ahle Sunnat Pakistan, questioned as to why non-Sharia sentences were being handed down in an Islamic country. “We believe that our courts did not do justice with Ghazi Mumtaz Qadri,” he added.

Dr Ashraf Jalali, the chairman of the Mumtaz Qadri Release Committee, said that the rulers should not misread the sentiments of the people who were ready to sacrifice their life rather than to tolerate any aspersion on Namoos-i-Risalat. “The government ought to take the case of Mumtaz Qadri to the Federal Shariat Court for a fresh trial.”

Prominent among those spoke at the event were Sunni Tehreek chief Sarwat Ejaz Quaderi, Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan chief Shah Owais Noorani and Dr Abul Khair Zubair.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2016