Pakistan Braces for Violence After Execution of Governor’s Killer
- 8 years ago
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.
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.
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.
In the eastern city of Lahore, large police contingents were deployed to thwart demonstrations.