Two murder convicts hanged in Punjab jails

The accused were hanged in Kot Lakhpat Jail, Lahore and Haripur Central Jail

LAHORE/HARIPUR: As executions continue across the country, two death row convicts were hanged early Wednesday morning in jails across Punjab, Express News reported.

Murder convicts Allah Datta and Haji Shabbir were hanged at Kot Lakhpat Jail, Lahore and Haripur Central Jail respectively in the early hours of Wednesday morning amid tight security.

Read: To the gallows: Murder convict to be hanged on Sept 15

Datta was sentenced to death for the murder of a man in Depalpur district over a minor dispute, while Shabbir was sentenced to death for the murder of a Rawalpindi-based trader in 1996.

Further, an anti-terrorism court (ATC), after hearing Allah Datta's case deemed him guilty and passed a death sentence for him. Meanwhile, President Mamnoon Hussain had rejected his mercy plea and the Supreme Court also agreed with the ATC's decision.

With some 8,000 people currently on death row in Pakistan, the United Nations earlier this year urged Pakistan to reinstate its moratorium on the death penalty, condemning a recent surge in executions.

Read: UN urges Pakistan to stop executions

The government has carried out hundreds of executions since the lifting of the moratorium on capital punishment last year, making Pakistan one of the world’s most prolific executioners, surpassing countries like Saudi Arabia.