Mumtaz Qadri’s appeal was dismissed by the Supreme Court in the Salman Taseer murder case. As per the orders of the Supreme Court, the trial court’s verdict was upheld and Qadri’s death sentence was reserved. A three member bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa dismissed Qadri’s plea against the death sentence.

Mumtaz Qadri was arrested for the murder of former Punjab governor Salman Taseer. He had committed the murder of the senior Pakistan peoples Party member on 4th January 2011. After Qadri confessed to the murder, on 1st October 2011, the Anti-Terrorist Court of Rawalpindi sentenced Mumtaz Qadri to death twice. Qadri had appealed against the death sentence verdict.  On 9 March 2015,  Islamabad High Court suspended the provisions of terrorism and upheld Qadri’s death sentence.

Mumtaz Qadri’s lawyer had stated that ‘punishing a blasphemer was a religious duty’.

Read more: Mumtaz Qadri’s lawyer says ‘punishing a blasphemer is a religious duty’

After being sentenced to die by the Islamabad High Court, Mumtaz Qadri had filed an appeal against the verdict.

Salman Taseer had been shot dead by Mumtaz Qadri, who was serving as his security guard at the time. Taseer had stopped at a market when Qadri had shot him to death. Following the incident, Mumtaz Qadri had stated the reason that he had killed the Punjab governor due to his opposition to Pakistan’s blasphemy law.

Profile

Justice Asif Saeed Khosa

Mr. Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa was born on December 21, 1954 at Dera Ghazi Khan. He passed his Matriculation Examination in the year 1969 from the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Multan winning the National Talent Scholarship.

According to Supreme Court website, Justice Khosa was enrolled as an Advocate of the Lahore High Court on November 13, 1979 and later as an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on September 12, 1985. He practised law for a few months before the District Courts at Dera Ghazi Khan and then for a few years at the Multan Bench of the Lahore High Court before shifting his legal practice to Lahore.

As an Advocate Supreme Court he handled thousands of cases of constitutional, criminal, civil, service, revenue and election laws in the superior courts of Pakistan. Over 600 cases conducted by him had been reported in various Law Reports. He also served as a Member of the Library Committee and as a Member of the Executive Committee of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, Lahore for some time.

Justice Khosa belongs well-known and well-placed family of the Punjab. His late father Sardar Faiz Muhammad Khan Khosa, who was awarded the Tehrik-e-Pakistan Gold Medal by the Punjab Government for having worked closely with the Quaid-e-Azam in the struggle for Independence, was an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan who had also served as an elected member of the Pakistan Bar Council. Justice Khosa is son-in-law of Justice (Retired) Dr. Syed Nasim Hasan Shah who served the superior judiciary of Pakistan for over twenty-six years and retired as Chief Justice of Pakistan in the year 1994.

Justice Khosa was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on February 18, 2010.

Justice Dost Muhammad Khan

Born on 20^th of March 1953 to a respectable family of Bannu.

Education

• Received his secondary education from Government High School No. 1, Bannu.
• Graduated from the Government Post Graduate College, Bannu in the year 1973-74.
• Obtained Law Degree from Government Sindh Muslim Law College, Karachi in the year 1975-76

Professional Career

• Began Legal Practice 1976
• Enrolled as an Advocate of the Lower Courts in year 1977
• Enrolled as an Advocate of the High Court in year 1981
• Enrolled as an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the year 1998

Activities at Bar

• Elected President of District Bar Association, Bannu for 1986-87
• Elected as a President of Peshawar High Court Bar Association D.I.Khan Bench for the year 1999-2000

Judicial Career

• Elevated to the Bench as Additional Judge on 10th September, 2002
• Elevated as permanent Judge of the Peshawar High Court on 10th September, 2003
• Remained as Presiding Judge Banking Court, High Court Peshawar (2003-2004) and in addition thereto also remained as Company Judge, Peshawar High Court
• Took oath as Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court on 17th November, 2011.
• Took oath as Judge of Supreme Court of Pakistan on 31st January, 2014.

Justice Mushir Alam

Born to a lawyer family on 18.8.1956. Grand father Moulvi Abdul Rauf, served as counsel for Mahraja of Gawaliar State. My late father, Muhammad Akram was leading senior lawyer of his time. My late uncle, Manzar Alam, a veteran worker of Pakistan Movement, also served the legal profession as an outstanding lawyer. I am third generation in legal field.

I did my LLB from S.M.Law College, Karachi. Joined Karachi Bar, in 1981. Enrolled as an Advocate High Court in 1983. Played active role in Bar activities. Held office of Honorary Joint Secretary and then as General Secretary High Court Bar Association Karachi. Elected as Member Sindh Bar Council. Appointed as Standing Counsel for Government of Pakistan in 1998 held last two positions till elevation to the Bench on 20th April 1999.Elevated as a Judge of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of Pakistan on 20th September 2013.

Worked for all Pakistan Trade Union Congress, an affiliate of Brotherhood of Asian Trade Union (BATU), Worker Confederation of Labour (WCL), Nominated as link person in Pakistan, for the implementation of International Labour Standard or ILO Norms in Pakistan. Attended large number of regional and international conferences and workshops under the auspices of APTUC, BATU, WCL and ILO.

Supreme Court praised on social media

Right decision by SC to sustain death penalty of #MumtazQadri. Big step towards a peaceful society. #letMQgoinheaven 🙂

— Bill Ahmad (@aflat000n) October 7, 2015

Finally a good decision from judiciary, #MumtazQadri deserves to be hanged

— Naeem Ahmed (@naeemahmed_196) October 7, 2015

Well done Justice Khosa Justice Dost Muhammad SC #MumtazQadri

— Asad Munir (@asadmunir38) October 7, 2015

SC well done! #MumtazQadri #MumtazQadriGoToHell

— Shahid N (@skniazi2008) October 7, 2015

Salman Taseer didn’t committed any blasphemy. Justice for #SalmanTaseer , hang #MumtazQadri

— Rebel (@ushaqAlHusain) October 7, 2015

Besides #MumtazQadri also hang those lawyers, who offered their free legal assistance to him, supported his action of killing Salman Taseer

— Senator Faisal Abidi (@SenFaisalAbidi) October 7, 2015

Hail Supreme Court for this historic verdict on the case of #MumtazQadri That’s what we need, the true respect for the constitution!

— Samee Chaudhry (@SameeSays) October 7, 2015

#MumtazQadri sentence by the #SupremeCourtofPakistan is the triumph of reason, logic and constitutional means.

— Yasser Latif Hamdani (@theRealYLH) October 7, 2015

His desire is to move to Jannat ASAP, delaying his entry is denying him justice,and also a violation of freedom of movement. #MumtazQadri

— Asad Munir (@asadmunir38) October 6, 2015

Arrest abettors/supporters of #MumtazQadri and make them examples. You can NOT kill innocents in broad daylight & get away with it. Morons

— Shah Zalmay Khan (@ZalmayX) October 5, 2015