Pakistan hangs five more murderers: officials

The latest hangings come a day after authorities executed eight people, also all accused of murder

MULTAN: Pakistan executed on Wednesday five people convicted of murder in Punjab, bringing the total number executed since it controversially lifted a moratorium on the death penalty to more than 235 since December.

The latest hangings came a day after authorities executed eight people, also all accused of murder.

The fresh executions took place in three cities: Gujrat, Faisalabad and Dera Ghazi Khan.

Read: Pakistan hangs eight for murder

"Three murder convicts were executed in Gujrat's District Jail early on Wednesday. One convicted killer was sent to the gallows in Dera Ghazi Khan central jail and another in Faisalabad," Chaudhry Arshad Saeed, an advisor to Punjab Chief Minister for prisons' affairs, told AFP.

Pakistan ended its six-year moratorium on executions after Taliban militants massacred more than 150 people – mostly children – at a school in Peshawar last December.

Read: Life of physically-challenged man on death row hangs upon doctor's assessment: LHC

Supporters argue that the death penalty is the only effective way to deal with the scourge of militancy in the country.

But critics say the legal system is unjust, with rampant police torture, poor representation for victims and unfair trials.