The court said Qadri’s lawyers had failed to establish “blasphemy” in the case and also rejected the formation of a larger bench to hear the arguments.
Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, who was heading the three-judge bench, remarked that it was our responsibility to safeguard the law and stand by our oaths.
On October 7, 2015, Mumtaz Qadri’s appeal against the death sentence in Salman Taseer murder case was dismissed by the Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa.
Mumtaz Qadri was arrested for the murder of former Punjab governor Salman Taseer 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.
