Army chief signs execution orders of 13 terrorists

Convicts include attacker of 2013 Nanga Parbat massacre

ISLAMABAD:

Army chief General Raheel Sharif signed on Tuesday death warrants of 13 militants convicted of terrorism-related offences, including the 2013 massacre of 10 foreign mountaineers at a base camp of Pakistan’s second highest mountain.

Irfan Ullah, son of Khudayar was condemned to death by a military court for the attack on foreign climbers at the  Nanga Parbat base camp. A faction of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had claimed credit for the attack, which shocked the world and scarred the country’s climbing tourism industry.

Gunmen dressed in Gilgit Scouts uniforms stormed the camp and shot dead 10 foreign hikers – including one American with dual Chinese citizenship, two other Chinese, three Ukrainians, two Slovakians, one Lithuanian, one Nepalese and a Pakistani guide.

“Today the chief of army staff confirmed death sentences awarded to another 13 hardcore terrorists, who were involved in committing heinous offences relating to terrorism, including killing of foreign tourists at Nanga Parbat,” the military’s media wing, the ISPR, said in a statement.

The other 12 had been charged with various heinous crimes from attacking schools and Saidu Sharif airport, to killing security officials, civilians and damaging helicopters. They all were tried in military courts which had been set up under the National Action Plan against terrorism.

The convicts – almost all of them belonging to the TTP – confessed to their offenses during their trails, according to the ISPR. With the latest convictions, the number of hardcore terrorists condemned to death by the military courts has reached 52. Overall, more than 300 people have been hanged since lifting of a moratorium on the death penalty in December 2014.

The ISPR identified other condemned terrorists as Haider, Ikram Ullah, Asghar Khan, Fazal-e-Ghaffar, Aziz Khan, Bakht-e-Ameer, Asghar Khan, Ahmed Ali, Haroon ur Rasheed, Taj Gul, Muhammad Nawaz and Mushtaq Ahmed.

Profile of the convicts

According to the ISPR, Irfan Ullah was involved in killing of tourists at the Nanga Parbat base camp. He was also in possession of firearms. He was tried on three charges.

Mushtaq Ahmed, s/o Muhammad Miraj, was involved in an attack on the Saidu Sharif airport, killing of employees of the Meteorological Department and destruction of an educational institution “which resulted in the death of civilians and injuries to soldiers”.

Muhammad Nawaz, s/o Gul Muhammad, was convicted of attacks on the armed forces which “resulted in the death of soldiers”. He was also in possession of firearms and explosives. He was tried on three charges.

Taj Gul, s/o Sultan Zareen, was involved in attacking and killing officials of law enforcement agencies, police constables and levies personnel. He was also in possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives. He was tried on four charges.

Asghar Khan, s/o Aziz Ur Rehman; Ahmed Ali, s/o Bakhat Karam; and Haroon ur Rasheed, s/o Mian Said Usman, were sentenced to death for attacking the armed forces, law enforcement agencies and destruction of an educational institution, “which resulted in death and injuries to soldiers and civilians.” They were also in possession of firearms and explosives. Asghar was tried on six charges whereas Aziz and Haroon were tried on seven charges.

Bakht-e-Ameer, s/o Ameer Zareen, was convicted of killing and injuring officers and soldiers of the armed forces. He was also in possession of explosives and was tried on three charges.

Aziz Khan, s/o Ashber, was involved in attacking the armed forces and destruction of communication system in Gulibagh, Swat, “which caused death and injuries to soldiers”. He was also in possession of a suicide jacket and was tried on three charges. Fazal-e-Ghaffar, s/o Shehzada, was sentenced to death for carrying out terrorist attacks which resulted in death and injuries to soldiers. He was also in possession of a suicide jacket. He was tried on four charges.

Asghar Khan, s/o Ahmad Jan, was involved in attacks on the armed forces, law enforcement agencies and educational institutions which caused death and injuries to soldiers and civilians. He was tried on four charges.

Similarly, Ikram Ullah, s/o Habib Ullah, was sentenced to death for terrorist attacks which caused death and injuries to officers, soldiers and civilians as well as damage to helicopters. He was tried on four charges. Haider, s/o Daim Khan, was involved in killing civilians in Quetta. He was also in possession of firearms and explosives. He was tried on five charges.


Published in The Express Tribune, March 16^th, 2016.