Supporters of Mumtaz Qadri chant slogans during a rally outside the Islamabad High Court.—AP

ISLAMABAD: A court on Tuesday suspended a policeman's death sentence pending his appeal against conviction for killing a provincial governor.

The Islamabad High Court held a preliminary hearing to admit the appeal filed last week by lawyers for Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, who was working as one of Punjab governor Salman Taseer's bodyguards when he shot him dead.

“The high court suspended the implementation of the death sentence awarded by the anti-terrorism court until the appeal hearing concludes,” said defence lawyer Shuja-ur-Rehman.

The court's two-judge panel will now fix a date for the next hearing, he added.

Qadri has confessed to killing Taseer in a hail of bullets outside an upmarket coffee shop in Islamabad on January 4.

Qadri was convicted of murder and sentenced to death by an anti-terror court on October 1 but the verdict led to an outcry by his supporters.

Rehman said the court had rejected a verbal request by the defence lawyers for the appeal to be heard in open session for security reasons.

The anti-terror trial of Qadri was also held behind closed doors, at the high-security Adiyala prison outside Islamabad.

Meanwhile, hundreds of demonstrators have rallied in support of Qadri.

Tuesday's rally took place as Qadri appealed his death sentence before a high court.