Pak 'blasphemy' governor killer gets death

A Pakistani court yesterday upheld the death sentence handed to the killer of a politician who sought blasphemy law reform, but struck out a terrorism conviction, making it unlikely he will be executed soon.

The Islamabad High Court dismissed an appeal against the death sentence by Mumtaz Qadri, a former police bodyguard who shot dead Punjab governor Salman Taseer in Islamabad in 2011.

Qadri admitted shooting Taseer, saying he objected to the politician's calls to reform Pakistan's strict blasphemy laws which can carry the death penalty.

Judges Noor-ul-Haq Qureshi and Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui dismissed the appeal over the murder charge, an AFP reporter at court said.

But they also set aside Qadri's conviction on terrorism charges, which means it is highly unlikely he will be sent to the gallows any time soon.