About 1,000 people gathered at Islamabad’s main Aabpara intersection demanding Qadri’s release, an AFP photographer said.
The protesters, including supporters of religious parties and students of local madrassas, chanted slogans such as “Qadri is hero” and “We salute his courage”. They called for Qadri to be released immediately and shouted: “We are ready to sacrifice our lives for the honour of the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh).”
Rallies were also held in several other cities including Karachi, Quetta, Multan and Rawalpindi, where witnesses said protesters blocked roads by burning tires.
Religious parties had called for shops and markets to shut down in protest at Qadri’s incarceration, but reports said the call was not heeded, with establishments in most areas remaining open.
Parts of Karachi were closed as the strike failed to make an impact on the city, Express 24/7 reported.
Shops and business in most areas of Karachi remained open and public transport continued functioning on regular routes.
Express 24/7 correspondent Sheryar Mirza said there were reports of incidents where armed men had forced shops and businesses to shut down.
The anti-terror court on Saturday found Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, one of Taseer’s bodyguards, guilty of murder and sentenced him to death.
Qadri confessed to shooting Taseer dead outside a coffee shop close to his residence in Islamabad on January 4.
He said he objected to the politician’s calls to amend the blasphemy law. On Thursday he filed an appeal against his death sentence.
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