Will of the nation: Mercy pleas of four APS attackers turned down

Nawaz advises President Mamnoon Hussain to reject petitions

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday advised President Mamnoon Hussain to turn down mercy pleas of four men who had been sentenced to death for the attack on the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar last December, noting that killers of children deserved ‘no mercy’.

The move comes weeks before the first anniversary of the December 16 attacks in which 150 children and teachers were massacred by terrorists at the army-run school.

“The brutal and merciless killings of our children convinced us that the perpetrators of such crimes do not deserve any mercy,” Nawaz said.

All four men, whose appeals were rejected, had been tried and sentenced by a military court. Earlier this week, the interior ministry had sent their mercy requests to the president through the premier, who advised Mamnoon to reject the petitions.

“Pakistan has changed after the Peshawar tragedy,” Nawaz said in an official statement as he presented his advice to the president under article 105 of the Constitution.

Immediately after the Army Public School tragedy, the state and the Parliament threw their weight behind new measures to bring terrorists to justice. In connection with this, the government lifted a moratorium on death penalty as well.

“Establishment of military courts through these (parliamentary) amendments has enabled us to bring the perpetrators of most heinous crimes to justice in a short span of time,” Nawaz was quoted as saying.

“The death sentence awarded to the four terrorists, in fact, was the will of the entire nation.”

Explaining his decision to reject the mercy petitions, Nawaz said he was simply “reflecting the will of the people and honouring the promise made to the families of children who lost their lives in the Army Public School tragedy.”

In August, after a trial that took place behind closed doors, the army announced that six militants linked to the assault would be executed, while a seventh was handed a life sentence.

Sources in the interior ministry said that two of six terrorists who were awarded the death penalty had challenged their sentence in the superior court.

APS convictions

In August, a military court had convicted six men belonging to the obscure Toheedwal Jihad group (TWJ) for their involvement in the attack on the APS as well as on an air force base.

TWJ member Hazrat Ali was convicted for his involvement in attacking law enforcement agencies, abetting kidnappings and killings of Levies soldiers, as well as collecting funds for the attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar.

Mujeebur Rehman, an active member of TWJ, was involved in transporting 10 suicide bombers for the attack on Pakistan Air Force Base in Peshawar. He was also accused of attacking the law enforcement agencies and abetting the APS attack.

Another TWJ activist, Sabeel alias Yahya, was convicted for his involvement in the attack on Pakistan Air Force Base in Peshawar. He had also abetted the attack on APS Peshawar.

Molvi Abdus Salam from the same group has been accused of harbouring suicide bombers who had attacked APS Peshawar.

TWJ member Ateequr Rehman alias Usman, was accused of attacking a Crime Investigation Department’s Police Station, providing funds for illegal activities, abetting deaths of two colonels and director of the National Development Complex (NDC) and abetted attack on APS.

Taj Muhammad alias Rizwan, an active member of TTP, had carried out attacks on the armed forces and was also accused of harbouring suicide bombers for the APS attack.

Kifayatullah alias Kaif Qari, of the TWJ was awarded a life term for using IEDs at the residence of two men and transporting weapons.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2015.