Pakistan

Capital punishment: Diplomats urge review of death penalty

Govt lifted ban last week paving way for law enforcement agencies to execute more than 8,000 prisoners

Our Correspondent March 12, 2015

Govt lifted ban last week paving way for law enforcement agencies to execute more than 8,000 prisoners. DESIGN: MUHAMMAD SUHAIB

ISLAMABAD:

Two key European countries expressed deep concerns over lifting of the ban on the death penalty in Pakistan. The government lifted the ban last week paving the way for law enforcement agencies to execute more than 8,000 prisoners whose mercy petitions have been rejected.

To discuss the issue of capital punishment, British High Commissioner Philip Barton called on Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali while Member of German Parliament Christoph Strässer met the special assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi and other senior officials.

“I am disappointed by the decision of the Pakistani government to completely lift the death penalty moratorium. Capital punishment is inhuman and is no deterrent. I urge our Pakistani partners to reconsider this decision,” said Strässer in a statement issued by German Embassy on Wednesday.

British High Commissioner Philip Barton took up this issue with Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar in Islamabad, according to an official statement. Nisar stated that after the withdrawal of the moratorium on capital punishment for terrorism-related cases, it is not possible to maintain a partial moratorium in other cases as that would be discriminatory and against the law and the Constitution. He elaborated that due process will be followed, in letter and spirit in ensuring just application of the law. Pakistan has an independent judiciary which will ensure the rights of every defendant, he said.

Olson-Nisar meeting

US Ambassador Richard Olson also discussed issues related to security and capital punishment with Interior Minister at Punjab House, according to an official statement.

“Olson and Nisar discussed [the] issue of lifting of ban on moratorium—Interior Minister convinced the American ambassador over the latest development which was otherwise necessary to counter extremism,” an interior ministry official said.

HRCP concerned

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also expressed grave concern over the recent actions by the authorities aimed at resuming executions for all death penalty offences.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Commission said: “HRCP must express its serious alarm over worrying recent movement towards resumption of executions for all death penalty offences.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 12^th, 2015.

COMMENTS (1)

Don | 9 years ago | Reply With more and more revelations about convicted people later being found innocent, can we at least have a hiatus on executions until the accuracy of the system is corrected. We can still debate the pros and cons of capital punishment (like at http://makeyourcase.org/topic/capital-punishment-is-an-effective-and-important-deterrent-against-crime ). But if we do them at all, it seems like the one thing everyone can agree on is that it's essential to never execute an innocent person.

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