Another Pakistani beheaded in Saudi for smuggling heroin

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Friday beheaded a Pakistani man who had been convicted of smuggling heroin into the kingdom, the interior ministry said.

Butha Mushtaq was the third Pakistani to be executed on drug charges in Saudi Arabia since October 15.

He was found guilty of smuggling heroin concealed in capsules which he had swallowed. He was executed in the capital Riyadh, the ministry said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency.

His execution brings to 59 the number of people beheaded in Saudi Arabia this year.

Last year, 78 people of various nationalities were executed in the Arab state.

In September, a United Nations independent expert called for moratorium on the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, which has faced harsh criticism from human rights group for carrying out executions.