ISLAMABAD: After the Prime Minister on Wednesday lifted a ban on the death penalty in terror related cases following the terrorist attack on Peshawar school, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif on Thursday signed death warrants for six terrorists.
According to the DG ISPR Maj General Asim Bajwa, the six hardcore terrorists had been convicted by a Field General Court Martial in accordance with law. However, it did not identify the terrorists.
#COAS today signed death warrants of 6 hardcore terrorists(pending execution)convicted by FGCM in accordance with law.
— Gen(R) Asim Saleem Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) December 18, 2014
List of 63 prisoners sent for execution
Separately, the Interior Ministry on Thursday sent a list of 63 prisoners, who were handed death sentences in terror related cases, to Inspector General Police of all provinces for their execution.
Legal wing of the interior ministry cleared their names for execution on Thursday after their mercy petitions had already been rejected by then President Pervez Musharraf, a senior official told The Express Tribune.
Most of the prisoners cleared for execution of their sentences were involved in high profile terrorists attacks including on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, attack on Navy Center in Karachi and attack on the Army General Headquarters, he added.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan gave go-ahead to all provincial police departments to follow Premier Sharif’s instructions to execute prisoners whose mercy petitions have been rejected after holding his back to back meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and officials of home departments, he added.
Prime minister has also discussed this issue with President Mamnoon Hussain accordingly.
Currently, the Deputy Secretary Law Safeer Shah is examining some 400 other mercy petitions which were either filed to Musharraf or his successor Asif Ali Zardari between 2007 and 2011, interior ministry officials said. They hoped that the status of these cases will be clarified by next week.
Further, all provincial home departments have been directed by the interior minister to furnish reports of prisoners who were awarded death sentence in terror related cases to the ministry by next Monday.
Meanwhile, spokesperson of President House Samina Waqar clarified that the President Hussain has not rejected any mercy petition as no such plea has been received since he came to power as there was a moratorium on capital punishment.
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Thank you COAS Gen. Raheel Shareef, we want all of the terrorists executed immediatly/
Well, the constitution need to be changed and no Army person should be able to sign the death penalty, final authority should be with civil government.
@Ahmed: These cowards terrorist/suicide bombers run the opposite direction once they are spotted by security forces. Do you wonder why?
@The Cloud Guy: That humanity you talk about does not prevail in this part of the world. SO keep your values with yourself and let us deal with butchers the way we feel better. Our enemies don't know what is humanity so let them be treated the way the treat others. Once we survive only then we will be able to preach humanity.
@The Cloud Guy: The problem is the criminals on life sentences can be freed by militants when they attack prisons. Unfortunately the rules of "civilized world" can not be applied to these barbarian death cults.
What does death penalty mean to people who are looking to die for a crazy mission? Would a death penalty mean anything to these suicide bomb mentality attackers, no!
@The Cloud Guy: In an ideal world i would agree with you but we live in a real world where rivers of blood are flowing. We have lost over sixty thousend fallow countrymen to these monsters. Won't you put them to sleep?
COAS Sir, Why are you taking pain of signing the death warrants in bunches? Kindly sign it once for all those who are sentenced to death and issue it like marks sheet with execution orders to be followed in 24 hours. Sir, kindly go beyond SOPs and make us honored once more. We are in grave anger. Perhaps, Gravest Anger!
@The Cloud Guy:
Which NGO do you work for and how much dollars are paid to you guys ?
@The Cloud Guy: At least in this case the condemned have gone through a trial. At least we are not invading a poor country (read Iraq & Afghanistan) and sentencing thousands of innocents to merciless killing without any accountability, respect for law or for humanity at the hands of unrestrained armed forces.
Bravo CAOS! The only person/institution who is actively working to get Pakistan out of this turmoil and give a brutal slap to these terrorists. All of these politicians are useless and have no leadership qualities in them, the so called democratic govt who still needs freaking 7 days to decide the execution plan. Shame!
@syed baqar ahsan: You are absolutely correct.
@KM: Well Said.
Although our past Army Chief General (Rtd.) Musharraf was also a very capable and no nonsense man, but the the current Chief General Raheel Sharif is;
Nephew of a Shaheed (Nishan-e-Haider) Brother of a Shaheed (Nishan-e-Haider)
He is a a capable brave man and a general with a complete resolve. Inshallah he and other members of his team of generals will teach a befitting lesson to the murderers of our children.
The Political Leadership needs to wake up and support our Armed Forces by giving them a free hand as we are beginning to see but only after losing so many of our beloved potential future Raheel's, Air Force Pilots, Doctors and leader of other fields.
General Shareef, I have seen your pictures on the TV and in the newspapers for the last two days. The pain and anger is quite visible on your face and in your posture. Go and get these terrorists and chop their heads off and shove them in the parts of their body where the sun never shines.
May Allah be with you & the Armed Forces of Pakistan.
We also want death sentence for the killers of Thararkar, Model Town, Wagah, Faisalabad, 10 May Karachi, Karsaz blast, Cristian killers, and all others. Were they lessor human beings. Get the terrorists among us
Hey..In democracies the signatory is president..how can a army chief take decisions...seriously...
@The Cloud Guy : Ok then by your argument, half of the US is either not modern, civilised, or is not living in the 21st century? When the US executes 3 dozen criminals in 2013, it is civilised, and when poor parents in PK whose children were butchered by animals, just because they went to school ask for it, it's not?
@The Cloud Guy: why dont you, from where ever you are, provide these criminals a visa and keep them in your home?
In this fight, there is no longer any room for mercy, equivocation, or fumbling. The snake must be scotched for good.
The death penalty has no place in a modern, civilized society in the 21st Century. Yes! Some that live deserve to die, and some that die deserve to live....can you give them that life? The price for the death penalty is the erosion of humanity in your country.
Name them .. Show their hanging through media .. Show it continuously until the real justice prevails, and cast fears in the eyes of the lunatics out there, on what is it to meddle with Pakistan, and its livelihood.
those who will be hanged killed 52000 people in Pakistan.
Can Express Tribune obtain names and crimes of the 6 criminals - and the 63 inmates?
BRAVO!!!!!!!!! Thanks chief. Allah bless u.