Pakistan

Pakistan executes 3 militants convicted over terrorist attacks

Islamabad: Pakistan’s military has said that authorities have executed three militants sentenced to death by military courts after being convicted of carrying out terror attacks in recent years.

The three convicted terrorists were executed in a jail in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday, according to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The convicts were “involved in committing heinous offences relating to terrorism, including [an] attack on a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane at Peshawar Airport, killing of civilians, attacking the armed forces and law enforcement agencies,” the ISPR handout read.

Former army chief Gen Raheel Sharif signed the death warrants of the three terrorists, identified as Sajid, Behram and Fazal-i-Ghaffar, on Nov 7, July 14 and March 15 last year, a report in Dawn said.

The details of the convicts provided by ISPR are as follows:

  • Sajid s/o Ibrahim Khan: The convict was a member of proscribed organisation. He was involved in firing on a PIA plane landing at Peshawar Airport which resulted in death of a woman and injuries to two other passengers. He was also involved in killing of innocent civilians and attacking LEAs, which resulted in death of a man identified as Pir Israr, along with eight of his family members, a civilian Niaz Gul, Assistant Sub Inspector Sajid Khan and injuries to civilians and police officials. The convict was in possession of fire arms and explosives. He admitted his offences before a magistrate and the trial court. He was awarded a death sentence.
  • Behram Sher s/o Khairan: The convict was a member of proscribed organisation. He was involved in destruction of the Government Girls Primary School as well as attacking army personnel, which resulted in the death of a soldier and injuries to 2 other soldiers. He was also in possession of explosives. The convict admitted his offences before a magistrate and the trial court. He was awarded a death sentence.
  • Fazal-i-Ghaffar s/o Shehzada: The convict was a member of proscribed organisation. He was involved in attacking the armed forces which resulted in death of four soldiers and injuries to another soldier. He was also in possession of a suicide jacket. The convict admitted his offences before a magistrate and the trial court. He was awarded a death sentence.

According to a rights group, Justice Project Pakistan, the country has sent 477 prisoners to the gallows since 2014.

The practice of executions had been halted in Pakistan in 2008 but was reinstated after the attack on a school in the city of Peshawar, which killed 150 people, mostly schoolchildren.

The government does not typically provide official figures. According to figures gathered by the rights group, Justice Project Pakistan, using a three-step process to verify the accuracy of its execution count, there had been at least 55 executions in 2017 till August 15.

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