Malik Mumtaz Hussein Qadri has become a hero to many in Pakistan A Pakistani court has charged a police commando with the murder of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer.
Mumtaz Qadri, 26, admitted gunning down Mr Taseer last month in Islamabad, after the governor backed reforms to controversial blasphemy laws.
He was acting as a bodyguard for the politician when he riddled him with bullets in broad daylight on 4 January.
The assassination of the liberal politician has divided the country with many hailing Qadri as a hero.
On Monday, some students brought Valentine day cards and flowers to the Adiyala jail where the hearing was held.
Jail officials received the gifts, promising to deliver them to Qadri.
“The judge examined the record and said that apparently the accused committed murder and terrorism,” news agency AFP quoted one of Qadri’s lawyers, Malik Mohammad Rafiq Khan, as saying.
“The judge read out the charges to the accused. The accused pleaded not guilty,” Mr Khan said.
The next date of hearing is set for 26 February when witnesses and evidence will be presented, the lawyer added.
In the past, Qadri has been mobbed and showered with petals during his court appearances.
His supporters have turned up at the court for the hearings, waving placards and shouting slogans.
Qadri pleaded guilty to Governor Taseer’s murder through a confessional statement.
He said he was angered by Mr Taseer’s support for reforming Pakistan’s blasphemy law.
The controversial law has been in the spotlight since a Christian mother-of-five, Asia Bibi, was sentenced to death in November for insulting the Prophet Muhammad.
She denies the charge.
Critics of the law say it has been used to persecute minority faiths in Pakistan, and is sometimes exploited for grudges.
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