The minds of these indoctrinated Muslim religious freaks are twisted. Their obsession with Muhammad and the rest of the fairy tale, “holy” stupidities they believe in has made mud of their brains. Once again, as Christopher Hitchens’ stated: religion poisons everything. TGO
Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press
ISLAMABAD – The confessed killer of a liberal Pakistani governor pleaded guilty to murder Monday, telling a judge he had no regrets because he killed “an apostate” as required under his interpretation of Islamic law, lawyers said.
Mumtaz Qadri shot dead Punjab province Gov. Salman Taseer in January while serving as a bodyguard. Qadri has told authorities he killed Taseer because the governor spoke out against harsh Pakistani blasphemy laws that impose the death sentence for insulting Islam.
The assassination horrified Pakistan’s relatively small liberal elite. However, some in the religious establishment and in legal circles have praised Qadri, a sign of the spread of Islamic fundamentalist thought in this South Asian nation.
Qadri was indicted Monday on a murder charge by an anti-terrorism court in the city of Rawalpindi.
Outside the court, dozens of Islamic activists carried banners saluting Qadri and demanded his immediate release. A small group of college students gave police flowers and a Valentine’s Day card they wanted delivered to the defendant.
“Happy Valentine!” read one of the banners.
Monday’s session was held behind closed doors.
When the judge asked Mumtaz Qadri if he’d intentionally killed Taseer, the 26-year-old said he didn’t consider his actions illegal, said defense lawyer Shuja-ur-Rehman Raja.
The lawyer quoted his client as saying he dealt with “an apostate” as required under Quranic and Islamic laws.
Raja, prosecutors and legal experts said Qadri’s statement was considered a guilty plea under Pakistani law, despite his efforts to justify the killing and deny that it was illegal.
“In such a scenario, the onus now falls on the accused to prove his act as being justified after pleading guilty before the court,” said Shaukat Siddiqi, a criminal lawyer.
An evidence hearing was set for Feb. 26.
Pakistan’s judicial system is opaque, and the courts have abysmal conviction rates, especially in terrorism cases where witnesses and court officials can be intimidated.
However, prosecutors did appear in court Monday and promised to pursue justice. “We have lot of evidence. We will ensure the maximum sentence,” state prosecutor Saiful Malook told The Associated Press.
The blasphemy laws are a deeply sensitive subject in Pakistan, where most residents are Sunni Muslims. Human rights groups have long warned that the laws are open to abuse because people often use them to settle rivalries or persecute religious minorities.
No one has been put to death for blasphemy because courts typically throw out the cases or commute the sentences. Still, some who are released are later killed by extremists or must go into hiding. Others accused of blasphemy spend long periods in prison while waiting for their cases to wind through the courts.
Taseer, a prominent member of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party, campaigned for a reform of the laws after a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, was sentenced to death last year for allegedly insulting Islam’s prophet, Muhammad.
But in a sign of how scared the largely secular ruling party is of Islamist street power, party leaders didn’t support Taseer’s move and, since his killing, have said they would not touch the existing laws.
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Associated Press Writer Zarar Khan contributed to this report.
