Nine more murder convicts hanged across jails in Pakistan

KARACHI: At least nine murder convicts were hanged early Wednesday at different jails across Pakistan – the latest executions since the country resumed the death penalty for all capital crimes.

The executions come a day after 12 death row prisoners were hanged Thursday, marking the largest number of executions in a single day since the moratorium on capital punishment was lifted in December.

Death row prisoner Tahir Bashir was hanged in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail. Bashir had killed a man 15 years ago over a personal feud.

Shaukat Ali and Mohammad Shabbir were hanged at the Adiyala jail in Rawalpindi. Their appeals had already been turned down by the higher courts and the president.

Meanwhile, the execution orders of convicted murderer Qadeer Ahmed were stayed following a last-minute reprieve.

Two more death sentences – those of murder convicts Talib Hussain and Rab Nawaz – will be carried out at the Adiyala jail later tonight.

Death row prisoner Asad Khan was hanged at the Attock District Jail. Khan was sentenced to death for committing five murders in two separate incidents.

Ghulam Mohammad, sentenced to death for killing his brother-in-law in August 2000, was sent to the gallows along with convicted murderer Zakir Hussain at the District Jail Jhang.

Murder convict Ahmed Nawaz was executed at the Central jail Mianwali. Nawaz was sentenced to death for killing a man in 1998 over a personal feud.

Authorities at the district jail Faisalabad said two death row convicts were hanged till death at 5:30am. The prisoners, Shafaqat Ali and Mohammad Saeed, were convicted of killing two brothers in March 1998.

A total of 48 people have so far been hanged since the government restarted executions in December.

Reintroducing the death penalty was part of the government’s move to step up its fight against militants and criminals after Taliban militants killed over 150 people – mostly children – at Peshawar’s Army Public School on Dec 16.

The death penalty moratorium, in force since 2008, was initially lifted only in terrorism cases.

But the government extended the order earlier this month, directing provincial governments to proceed with hangings for all death row prisoners who had exhausted their appeals and clemency petitions.

Rights groups estimate that Pakistan has over 8,000 prisoners on death row, a majority of whom have exhausted their appeals.