Another nine convicts hanged in Punjab

Three convicts were hanged in Attock, two each in Faisalabad and Lahore, and one each in Bahawalpur and Sargodha

MULTAN: Nine more convicted murderers  were hanged on Tuesday, bringing the total number of executions to around 250 since it lifted a moratorium on the death penalty last December.

The six-year ban on executions was lifted as part of a crackdown on militancy following an attack by Taliban militants on Army Public School in Peshawar in which they killed over 150 people — mostly children.

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The latest executions took place in Lahore, Attock, Faisalabad, Sargodha and Bahawalpur in Punjab province.

"Three convicts on death row were hanged in Attock, two each in Faisalabad and Kot Lakhpat Jail Lahore, and one each in Bahawalpur and Sargodha jails," Chaudhry Arshad Saeed, adviser for prison affairs to Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, told AFP.

Several other officials separately confirmed the hangings.

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

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