407 prisoners from Punjab executed

LAHORE

Some 407 death row prisoners from Punjab jails have been executed so far after President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain rejected their mercy petitions following the lifting of a seven-year moratorium on death punishment in the light of measures taken after an attack on Army Public School Peshawar, The News has learnt.

According to sources, some more mercy petitions are under process for being sent to the President of Pakistan, after their appeals against the death sentence were rejected by higher courts. Sources claimed that most of the cases of convicted terrorists had been processed from Punjab.

They claimed that no mercy petition of any foreigner was under process and no foreigners were executed in the country. .

According to the HRCP, 24 prisoners have been executed since January 2017. In 2016, 87 prisoners were hanged on charges of murder, terrorism, kidnapping and assault of children. Some 333 prisoners were hanged during 2015.. Only seven prisoners were hanged during 2014 who attacked GHQ and an convey of Musharaf.  They included Aqeel Ahmad alias dr.Uasman, Arhshad Mahmud alian Meharban, Ghulam Sarwar, Rashid Mahmood alias Tipu, Zubair Ahmad, Akhlaq Ahmad ans Niaz Muhammad.

Javed alias Jeeda’s conviction case was initiated in 1989 and he was hanged on 2015. His case was in queue for long time and execution took place after the APS attack. 

Despite several contacts, spokesman for Interior Ministry Srfarz Hussain did not comment on specific queries about processing of mercy petition and execution. It was said that many mercy petitions were pending in the President Secretariat. Press Secretary/ Information Adviser to the President, President’s Secretariat (Public), Miss Zahida Parveen said as the Secretariat received mercy petition, the process started within no time.