Pak Court dismisses plea seeking quashing of FIR, ATC trial against Taseer's assassin

Islamabad, Jan 21(ANI): The Islamabad High Court has dismissed a petition seeking quashing of the FIR and the trial against Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, the assassin of late Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer.

On January 4, Taseer was assassinated by Qadri, one of his own elite security force protectors, who opened fire on him because of the governor's support for the release of Pakistani-Christian woman Asia Bibi, who has been sentenced to death on blasphemy charges.

A single bench of the IHC, comprising Justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi, dismissed the petition after declaring it as non-maintainable, the Daily Times reports.

A lawyer, Zafar Awan, had filed the petition, in which he had contended that the Kohsar police had illegally registered an FIR under Section 302 against Qadri.

He requested the court to direct the police to rescind the FIR and halt proceedings against Qadri in the anti terrorism court, which is scheduled to commence from January 24.

The hearing for the Salmaan Taseer assassination case will be heard in-camera at Adiyala Jail. The decision to hold an in-camera proceeding came after the January 5 fiasco at the Islamabad District Court, where Qadri was welcomed and showered with rose petals by his supporters. (ANI)