Another hanged in Peshawar for attack on Musharraf

Strict security enforced during execution, unauthorised persons not allowed in the vicinity of the prison

PESHAWAR: A convict involved in an attack on former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf was executed in Central Jail, Peshawar on Wednesday morning, Express News reported.

Niaz Muhammed, a former Pakistan Air Force junior technician, 40, was convicted for his involvement in the attempted suicide attack on Musharraf on December 25, 2003 in Rawalpindi and was handed the death sentence by a military court in 2006.

Following his execution, the body was handed over to his family, doctors had said.

Strict security was enforced during the execution and unauthorised persons were not allowed in the vicinity of the prison.

In the wake of the recent attack on Peshawar's school children by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had lifted the six-year moratorium on death penalties.

Following the resumption of executions, two high-profile terrorists were executed on December 20, followed by a further four on December 22 - all involved in attempted attacks on Musharraf.

Officials have said they plan to hang 500 convicts in the coming weeks, drawing protest from international human rights campaigners.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has also announced the establishment of military courts for terror-related cases in order to accelerate trials, describing them as "an extraordinary solution to an extraordinary problem."
Despite the moratorium, which began in 2008, courts continued to issue death sentences and Amnesty International estimates there are around 8,000 people on death row in Pakistan.
The United Nations, European Union, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called on Pakistan to re-impose its moratorium on the death penalty.
Rights campaigners say Pakistan overuses its anti-terror laws and courts to prosecute ordinary crimes.