Over 30,000 Muslims mourned the loss of a man they deemed to be an Islamic hero yesterday during a procession of his body and funeral in Rawalpindi, neighbouring
the country’s capital.
Mumtaz Qadri rose to fame or infamy following his sadistic killing of a man he was hired to protect. The former Police officer was a bodyguard
for former Governor of Punjab Salmaan Taseer who he ruthlessly shot in the back several times with a semi-automatic machine gun on January 4th 2011.
Mr Qadri was hanged at 4.30 on Monday 29th February 2016 (click here).
Mumtaz Qadri has never repented for his crime and had openly said that if he was given a thousand lives he would sacrifice them all to kill Mr. Taseer
who he believed to be a blasphemer.
In his lifetime Salmaan Taseer proved to be one of Pakistan’s most liberal, enlightened and egalitarian politicians. His stance in speaking out for
minorities and calling for reform and abrogation of the blasphemy laws of Pakistan, which he termed ‘black laws,’ made him unpopular with the growing
number of hardliners in Pakistan.
His boldness in meeting with long term blasphemy law victim Asia Bibi, a mother of five, and his call for her freedom, made him a target for extremists.
Asia Bibi’s error had been to sip a glass of water from a well not permitted for use by Christians for fear of spiritual contamination.
Whereas thousands attended the funeral of Mumtaz Qadri a few hundred attended the funeral of Governor Taseer with the notable absence of the President
of Pakistan, despite the senior level of Governor Taseer’s position. Moreover 500 Islamic clerics actively encouraged a boycott of the funeral of Governor
Taseer.
In the wake of Governor Taseer’s death, the Chief of Armies refused to condemn murderer Mumtaz Qadri. He stated that there were too many of his officers
that held Mumtaz Qadri in great esteem as a hero.
Christians in Pakistan fear a backlash from embittered hardliners and many have locked themselves in their homes during the last two days. Most shopping
arcades have had to close, due to small scale riots, threats from protesters and advice from hard-pushed security forces. Most schools have been shut
for the last two days due to safety concerns. Some Christians have taken more drastic action and have travelled to family in rural regions in an attempt
to avoid potential mob violence in the cities where most protesters are converging.
Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association, said:
“Christians will face a long period of uncertainty as the country mourns the loss of an assassin who killed a unique Muslim politician willing to stand up for Christians and other minorities. The underlying truth that is surfacing from this twisted support for a known murderer is that hatred towards minorities is embedded throughout Pakistani society. Lawyers across the country have held a two day strike in sympathy with Mumtaz Qadri which clearly illustrates that many amongst the elite hold fundamentalist views.”
He added:
“There are positives to be taken form the recent hanging. Whether you support capital punishment or not, Pakistan has boldly pushed through a judgement against a known terrorist. This was despite pressure from extremists. Despite an initial faux pas in allowing a baseless appeal by Mumtaz Qadri to be heard, the judge who presided over the case failed the appeal. Mumtaz Qadri had cited his Islamic right to kill a blasphemer as grounds for the appeal. The failure of the appeal proved that the Supreme Court is independent and can be relied upon for justice even when political and social tension is at its peak.”