Pakistan to halt executions for Ramazan

Official says the pause in hangings relates to tradition of not carrying out executions during the holy month

ISLAMABAD: Having hanged over 150 people since a moratorium was lifted late last year, Pakistan announced on Saturday that it will pause executions of condemned prisoners for around 30 days, in reverence of Ramazan.

All provincial home departments have issued directives to the respective superintendents not to hang any prisoner on death row on public holidays, Eid, Ramazan and Youm-e-Ashur which falls on the 10th of Muharram.

"It's part of our Islamic tradition that we never hang prisoners in the aforesaid days. We do not issue notifications, but the tradition is observed in Ramazan and other public holidays," said a senior official of the interior ministry.

Read: In the last six months, Pakistan has executed more people than Saudi Arabia

Pakistan has executed more than 152 prisoners since the moratorium on death penalty was lifted after the deadly Peshawar School massacre in December last year.

The executions have drawn global condemnations including those from the European Union, but the government decided to continue with them.

The country’s top security spokesperson termed the executions a key part of the National Action Plan designed to combat and eradicate terrorism.