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| Pakistan Braces for Violence After Execution of Governor’s Killer | Pakistan Braces for Violence After Execution of Governor’s Killer |
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| ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The authorities in Pakistan were bracing for the possibility of violence and escalating protests on Monday after the execution of the killer of Salmaan Taseer, a governor who had campaigned for changes in the country’s blasphemy laws. | ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The authorities in Pakistan were bracing for the possibility of violence and escalating protests on Monday after the execution of the killer of Salmaan Taseer, a governor who had campaigned for changes in the country’s blasphemy laws. |
| Mr. Taseer’s assassin, Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, was hanged at 4:30 a.m. on Monday at the Adiala Jail, a high-security prison in Rawalpindi, adjacent to Islamabad, the capital. Security forces were put on high alert in major cities across the country. | Mr. Taseer’s assassin, Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, was hanged at 4:30 a.m. on Monday at the Adiala Jail, a high-security prison in Rawalpindi, adjacent to Islamabad, the capital. Security forces were put on high alert in major cities across the country. |
| Supporters had begun gathering to view Mr. Qadri’s body at his home in Rawalpindi. By early afternoon, the expressway connecting Islamabad and Rawalpindi was blocked by protests. | Supporters had begun gathering to view Mr. Qadri’s body at his home in Rawalpindi. By early afternoon, the expressway connecting Islamabad and Rawalpindi was blocked by protests. |
| In the eastern city of Lahore, large police contingents were deployed to thwart demonstrations. Some markets had closed in the southwestern city of Karachi, where religious groups have a sizable presence, and the police had been sent to others. Protests were also reported in smaller cities. | In the eastern city of Lahore, large police contingents were deployed to thwart demonstrations. Some markets had closed in the southwestern city of Karachi, where religious groups have a sizable presence, and the police had been sent to others. Protests were also reported in smaller cities. |
| Mr. Qadri, a former police security guard, had confessed to assassinating Mr. Taseer, whom he accused of blasphemy, by shooting him 27 times in the back in January 2011. He was sentenced to death that year and filed an appeal. In October 2015, the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence; last week, a request for mercy he had made to President Mamnoon Hussain was rejected. | Mr. Qadri, a former police security guard, had confessed to assassinating Mr. Taseer, whom he accused of blasphemy, by shooting him 27 times in the back in January 2011. He was sentenced to death that year and filed an appeal. In October 2015, the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence; last week, a request for mercy he had made to President Mamnoon Hussain was rejected. |
| Pakistani officials’ concerns about the potential for violence grew as Mr. Hussain considered Mr. Qadri’s mercy request. In late February, security was bolstered for the president, and some members of his family were moved from his home city, Karachi, to the official presidential residence in Islamabad. Last week, two drivers in his convoy were taken into custody in Lahore after they were found to be driving slower than the standard speed, in violation of security rules. | Pakistani officials’ concerns about the potential for violence grew as Mr. Hussain considered Mr. Qadri’s mercy request. In late February, security was bolstered for the president, and some members of his family were moved from his home city, Karachi, to the official presidential residence in Islamabad. Last week, two drivers in his convoy were taken into custody in Lahore after they were found to be driving slower than the standard speed, in violation of security rules. |
| Mr. Taseer, a secular politician who was the governor of Punjab Province at the time of his assassination, had vociferously campaigned for changes in the blasphemy laws, which he, like other critics, said had been used to persecute religious minorities. But for a large section of Pakistani society, the mere suggestion of changing the laws amounts to a capital crime. | Mr. Taseer, a secular politician who was the governor of Punjab Province at the time of his assassination, had vociferously campaigned for changes in the blasphemy laws, which he, like other critics, said had been used to persecute religious minorities. But for a large section of Pakistani society, the mere suggestion of changing the laws amounts to a capital crime. |
| Mr. Qadri remained a hero to his supporters and was showered with rose petals and garlands during some of his court appearances. While in prison, he was reported to have lived rather comfortably, and he was said to have managed in 2014 to persuade a security guard to shoot another prisoner who was accused of blasphemy. The man was wounded but survived. | Mr. Qadri remained a hero to his supporters and was showered with rose petals and garlands during some of his court appearances. While in prison, he was reported to have lived rather comfortably, and he was said to have managed in 2014 to persuade a security guard to shoot another prisoner who was accused of blasphemy. The man was wounded but survived. |
| Supporters and sympathizers visited Mr. Qadri with ease to seek his blessings, and videos of him singing hymns in praise of the Prophet Muhammad were widely circulated. | Supporters and sympathizers visited Mr. Qadri with ease to seek his blessings, and videos of him singing hymns in praise of the Prophet Muhammad were widely circulated. |
| On Monday, as his body was brought to his home, the narrow streets of the neighborhood were filled with people chanting “Long live the martyr Mumtaz Qadri.” Religious parties announced plans to hold funeral prayer services on Tuesday afternoon in Rawalpindi and urged all “lovers of the prophet” to attend the funeral. Officials said that the potential for violence on Tuesday was high. | |
| Religious leaders also warned of protests ahead. “We will not digest this step of the government,” said Raghib Naeemi, a prominent cleric based in Lahore. | |
| Raza Rumi, a member of the visiting faculty at Ithaca College in New York and a consulting editor of The Friday Times, a Pakistani weekly, said, “The execution of Mumtaz Qadri indicates the resolve of the Pakistani state to reverse the tide of extremism that has gripped the country for decades.” | |
| Speaking of the execution of Mr. Qadri, he added: “In a narrow sense, justice may have been delivered under the existing laws. But Pakistan’s Parliament would have to think beyond the death penalty and institute measures which inhibit the creation of people like Qadri. It is time to revisit blasphemy laws.” | Speaking of the execution of Mr. Qadri, he added: “In a narrow sense, justice may have been delivered under the existing laws. But Pakistan’s Parliament would have to think beyond the death penalty and institute measures which inhibit the creation of people like Qadri. It is time to revisit blasphemy laws.” |
| There was no formal statement by Mr. Taseer’s family regarding the execution, and major political parties also refrained from issuing statements. |