Mumtaz Qadri was a bodyguard for Salman Taseer, the Governor of Punjab. Taseer was a prominent liberal who opposed strict blasphemy laws which he said discriminated againt non-Muslims. On January 4, 2011 Qadri shot Taseer nine times and killed him.
Taseer's death sparked national and global condemnation and outrage but other groups protested the arrest and trial of Qadri. Extremists threw rose petals on the armoured car transfering Qadri to hearings and developments in the case were met with sometimes violent street protests.
Qadri was executed by hanging on February 29, 2016.