ATC adjourns governor murder trial

RAWALPINDI: Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday adjourned the case of a police commando charged with murdering a high-profile liberal governor, his lawyer said.

The court adjourned the hearing until March 26 after two more witnesses recorded their statements, a defence lawyer said.

Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri has been charged with terrorism and the murder of Punjab governor Salman Taseer on January 4.

Around 150 people rallied outside the Adiyala prison in the garrison town of Rawalpindi, where the hearing took place, chanting slogans in support of Qadri.

Qadri has confessed to killing Taseer and said he objected to the politician's calls to reform the blasphemy law, which mandates the death sentence for those convicted of defaming the Prophet Mohammed.

"Today, two more witnesses recorded their statements in the court, the judge later adjourned the hearing until March 26," Malik Mohammad Rafique, one of Qadri's lawyers, told AFP outside the prison.

The witnesses, a police draftsman and a constable, told the court about the scene and the post-mortem examination, he said.